i have a very finite set of things i do which help me get into the flow state. i often forget to do these when i’m having trouble focusing so here’s me writing them out so i can just read this the next time i’m scrolling X too much.
it’s also an exhaustive list of things i am going to try before i take a break or call it a day.
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bring your keyboard closer and sit upright. 
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get some distance between you and the monitor. 
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put headphones on, play brown noise or 70s low-key rock music. 
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go splash water on your face, it helps tremendously. - if time from last shower > 6 hours, go jump in a cold shower.
 
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open window, let some fresh air in 
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close all tabs on browser and applications that you don’t need rn. it’s clutter that’s cluttering the brain. 
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close all social tabs and apps on pc. 
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throw phone out of sight. 
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text someone, anyone what you need to do and how you’re struggling with it. don’t have to send a message, just duck debug the problem. - alternatively, talk to claude about the problem you’re trying to solve - here’s an example text i wrote recently. tbh, haven’t been able to start my engines on this :/ brain hasn’t been working all day 🔪 but here’s a brain dump of what i need to do (in hopes it kick starts my engines): … 
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get out of the house, walk to the nearby cafe. nice place to get some coding done. - if it’s been a while since last coffee, get a coffee too.
 
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start a pomodoro clock, work only until the timer runs out. re-evaluate after the timer runs out. 
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take a body check, do you need sleep? do you need food?