How to stay focused at work

Steps that change the edges

1. One task per block. Write down the single thing you will do in the next 25 or 50 minutes.
2. A set start time. “At 14:00” is easier to keep than “after lunch”.
3. Notifications off for the block. Close the email tab and put the phone face down or in another room.
4. A short end. When the block ends, note where you stopped, so the next start is quick.

Working next to someone

Another way to fix the start is to share it. Here you book a 25 or 50 minute session and a real person joins the same video call. You each say your task, work in silence, and tell each other how it went at the end.

How it works here

1. Pick a time. A slot starts every quarter hour, day and night. Sessions last 25 or 50 minutes.
2. We try to match you. If someone picked the same time and length, we put you on a call together.
3. Say what you are working on. At the start each of you says it out loud, in one sentence. Then you work in silence. There is a chat if you need it.
4. Tell each other how it went. That is what the last two minutes are for. Then the session stays in your calendar and you can go.