Meditation for deep work: 10-minute letting go session, on the morning of an interview

About this practice

When deep work shows up on the morning of an interview, this 10-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: deep work

Deep work requires a low distraction floor. Modern work rarely provides one, so the transition into it has to be manufactured.

It tends to show up as:

Getting interrupted every few minutes
Starting five things and finishing none
Feeling busy but not productive

A short deliberate transition tells the body the next stretch is different. Without one, the previous meeting follows you in.

Doing this before an interview

Do it where you will not be interrupted, even if that is a stairwell
Have the first sentence of your answer ready afterwards
Keep it short — there is no time for a long session

Nerves before an interview are normal and not something to eliminate. You need access to what you know, nothing more.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

0:00Notice whether you're leaning forward. Most people are, slightly, all day.
0:12Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
0:28Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
0:41If some part of you is resisting this, that resistance is worth noticing too.
0:55Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
1:09Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
1:21Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
1:34Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
1:46Notice your eyebrows. They're probably doing something small right now.
1:58Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
2:09When the pull of notifications arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
2:28Think of the task that needs a clear head as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
2:47Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
3:00Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
3:16Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
3:28If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
3:41You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
3:56I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
4:08Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
4:21With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
4:36Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
4:48Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
4:59Let this one be unhurried.
5:08Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
5:21Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
5:33Let it be this simple.
5:42Notice your shins, which take small knocks all day and never complain.
5:55Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
6:09Let the quiet do its work.
6:19Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
6:30Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
6:43Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
6:54Notice the space around the open tabs of your attention. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
7:13There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
7:31Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
7:44If the task that needs a clear head starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
8:02If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
8:14If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
8:29I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
8:41We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
8:56Keep following the air.
9:05Let your breathing go back to whatever it does when nobody is watching.
9:18Roll your neck once, slowly, in whichever direction feels good.
9:30No rush to move on.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Deep work requires a low distraction floor. Modern work rarely provides one, so the transition into it has to be manufactured. A short deliberate transition tells the body the next stretch is different. Without one, the previous meeting follows you in.

Where and when should I do this one?

Do it where you will not be interrupted, even if that is a stairwell. Nerves before an interview are normal and not something to eliminate. You need access to what you know, nothing more.

What actually happens during the 10 minutes?

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.