Sprint Ritual "7 Minutes": How to Get to Work When You Lack Willpower
When your head is noisy, deadlines are pressing, and "I'll get it together now" doesn't work, you need a quick entry into the working state. This sprint ritual takes your brain from "scattered" to "focused" in 7 minutes.
00:00 - 00:30 – Preparing the space
Sit comfortably. Free yourself from phone notifications, for example, by switching it to airplane mode. Set a timer for 7 minutes. Relax and lower your shoulders. Feel the support of the chair and the floor.
00:30-03:30 – Breathing (choose one of the rhythms):
1 – When you are anxious/"stormy" and need to relieve stress: the rhythm "4-7-8" ( Andrew Weilom method ). First, exhale all the air through your mouth. Then take a deep calm breath through your nose for 4 counts and hold your breath for 7 counts, then exhale through your mouth for 8 counts. When exhaling, the tip of your tongue should touch the tubercle of the upper palate near your upper teeth. Breathe like this continuously for 3 minutes. Guidelines: 4 cycles will be enough for beginners, with time 6-8 cycles will be possible.
Important: "count" is a rhythm, not seconds; everyone will have their own number of cycles. If the timer hasn't run out, continue until 3:00.
2 – When balance and focus are needed: the “box” rhythm 4-4-4-4. Inhale through your nose, counting to 4. Hold your breath, counting to 4. Exhale through your mouth, counting to 4. Hold your breath, counting to 4. Breathe like this continuously for 3 minutes. Guidelines for quantity: if you count calmly, you will get approximately 10-12 cycles in 3 minutes. If pauses are difficult, then slow down the internal count or start with 4-2-4-2, maintaining the "squareness".
3 – When sleepy/"cotton wool": even rhythm 5-5 (6 breaths/min). This is the so-called coherent resonant breathing. Inhale and exhale through the nose for 5 seconds without pauses: inhale 5 sec – exhale 5 sec . It is important that the inhalation and exhalation take equal time. Breathe until the end of 3 minutes. Guideline: you will get 18 cycles. My advice: finish the cycle on the exhale according to the timer, not on the count.
As To help with drowsiness, before the 5-5 rhythm, do 30 seconds of fast walking/shaking your hands.
03:30 - 06:00 – Intention
Write one phrase: "Now I am doing... (a specific task)."
06:00 - 06:30 – Working window
Select the working window 25/45/90 min, set the timer. Airplane mode remains.
06:30 - 07:00 – Start
Take the first microstep. It should take no more than 60 seconds. Let it be almost laughably simple. Then take the next 2 microsteps, each no longer than 10 minutes. The timer will guide you from there.
When you finish, take a 3-minute break (stand up, drink some water, look away into the distance) and then do a new circle.
Typical mistakes:
1) Stretching the ritual longer than 8 minutes is already procrastination.
2) Leave phone notifications.
3) Do not write down one phrase of the problem.
4) Jump between 25/45/90 throughout the day – choose one window for today.
How to measure the effect (checklist):
Immediately after the sprint, check three boxes:
Continuously worked: 25 / 45 / 90
Distractions: X pcs.
Micro-result: yes/no (what exactly was done).