sometimes the hardest part of a task isn't doing it.
it's beginning.
you know the email needs to be written.
the report needs to be opened.
the essay is still sitting there.
you tell yourself you'll do it after one more scroll… and suddenly, half an hour has gone by.
I've been there too.
and I don't think it always means we're lazy.
sometimes, we simply don't want to feel what the task makes us feel.
psychologists Fuschia Sirois and Timothy Pychyl wrote about procrastination as a way of escaping uncomfortable feelings in the present, even when we know it may make things harder for our future self.
that idea changed the way I look at procrastination.
maybe the problem isn't always time management.
maybe sometimes, the first step is making the beginning feel less difficult.
that's why this session is different.
it doesn't ask you to finish.
it doesn't ask you to have a productive morning.
it doesn't even ask you to know exactly how the whole task will turn out.
just choose one thing you've been putting off.
then give it 25 mins.
that's all.
if you’re ready to stop thinking about the task and simply start, try the 25-min “just begin” session →. soft piano, one task, and 25 mins to take that first step.
why 25 mins?
twenty five mins is the classic work period used in the Pomodoro technique created by Francesco Cirillo.
research by Biwer and colleagues found that students using fixed work and break intervals reported less fatigue, better concentration, and more motivation than students who chose their own break timing.
but for this particular session, the number matters less than the permission behind it.
you don't have to finish today.
you only have to begin.
the video starts gently, gives you one task to choose, then lets soft piano accompany the next 25 mins.
at the end, two bells tell you something simple:
you started.
and honestly, that can be the hardest part.
if you already know you want a complete Pomodoro with a proper 5-min break, try one Pomodoro: 25-min focus + 5-min break instead.
but if you're staring at something you've been avoiding…
start here.
one task.
25 mins.
no pressure to finish.
just begin. 🤎
p/s: if you get into the work and realize it needs more time, you can always move up to a 50 mins focus block.
for heavier work that needs more uninterrupted thinking, a 90 mins focus session may fit better.
this is one small part of how I think about deep work, and for me it starts with simply beginning. if you'd like, you can read the rest.
