Focus
One run, one task: what every switch costs
Changing tasks costs a little each time. One named task per run moves the switches into the gaps.
Essays on focus and study
One idea at a time, in plain words: what the research found, how sure it is and one small way to try it with the timer.
12 essays · 3 to 5 minutes each · every one lists its sources · by LogicFire.app
Start here
New here? Read these three first, in this order. They explain the ideas behind the timer.
-
1 of 3
Focus
Runs, not hours: why short honest runs beat long leaky ones
-
2 of 3
Focus
Distraction is a measurement, not a failure
-
3 of 3
Planning
Guess, then see: why tasks take longer than you think
Focus
Staying with one thing, and noticing when you drift.
3 essays
Focus Start here, 1 of 3
Runs, not hours: why short honest runs beat long leaky ones
A fixed 25-minute block can leak on an ADHD day. Counting runs shows the length you can really hold.
Focus Start here, 2 of 3
Distraction is a measurement, not a failure
Every mind wanders. Marking the moment you notice, without blame, shows how long your focus really lasts.
Planning
Starting, and knowing how long things really take.
3 essays
Planning
When-then plans: give a task its moment
Wanting to start isn’t the same as knowing when. A one-line plan can help, and your to-do list can hold it.
Planning
Break it down first: list the steps, then guess
A task seen whole looks smaller than it is. Listing its steps before you guess tends to give a truer number.
Planning Start here, 3 of 3
Guess, then see: why tasks take longer than you think
Most of us guess too short. A measured time beats a remembered one, and the timer keeps it for you.
Study
Making revision stick, with less time spent.
2 essays
Study
Spread it out: why study sticks better over several days
The same study time, split across days, stays with you longer. Your to-do list can hold the days for you.
Study
Close the book first: retrieval practice for study
Pulling what you know out of your head beats reading it again, and it fits in a 15-minute run.
Breaks and habits
Resting well, and keeping going over weeks.
2 essays
Breaks and habits
Most days, not every day: why your record has no streak
In a well-known habit study, one missed day made little difference. So your record counts days, not streaks.
Breaks and habits
Short breaks: what 5 minutes away can and can’t do
Breaks of 10 minutes or less give a small lift in energy. A loud alarm helps them end on time.
Together
Working near other people: a friend, a group or a class.
2 essays
Together
A visual timer for a classroom projector or OBS
Put a shrinking disc on a classroom projector or a study stream, set up by one link.
Together
Working alongside: body doubling without the pressure
Many people find work easier with someone nearby. The research is thin, so here’s what is known.
More from LogicFire.app
- The timer
Free, with no sign-up, in any browser.
- The guide
How every part of the timer works, and why.
- The visual timer
A disc that shrinks, for a classroom, a meeting or a stream.
- About
Who makes it, and how it is paid for.