What's your tips for deep work ?

Yesterday I spent 5 focused hours and shipped a V0 of a marketing site for my project about to be announced.
No magic — just a tight entry ritual, a simple work structure, and a lot of no’s.

What I shipped is not the matter here, but I would love to hear what is your best deep-work tips.

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1) The entry ritual

After kissing my little Akita (my favorite dog in the world), and pour my coffee, I started my session.

Goal: tell my brain it’s time to tunnel in.

• Ambience: desk lamp + essential-oil diffuser (olfactory anchor)
• Audio: a single playlist/video (synthwave mostly hehe), low volume (no headphones; I keep an ear out for my dog)
• Phone: who cares, no one will call me so.

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2) The structure

Nobody stays at 100% for 5 hours. I slice it up:

• Block 1 — 1h45: hardest part (architecture, UI skeleton, routing)
• Break — 15–20 min: water + tiny walk and of course hugs with my dog.
• Block 2 — 1h30: “logical” features (contact form, blog list/detail, etc.)
• Break — 20–30 min: light snack / stretching, and of course hugs with my dog.
• Block 3 — 1h45: finish (responsive, polish, light animations, commits)

Golden rule: timer visible, hard stop when it rings, even if “I could finish”.

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3) Anti-drift: micro rules

• One lane only: no “what if I just try…”. The lane is chosen before starting.
• Zero social (obvious, but writing it down helps).
• Max 1–2 tabs (IDE + browser).
• Brain dump: intrusive ideas go into Notion immediately, not my head.

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4) What worked best

Sensory ritual (light + scent): it's dumb but super effective to enter flow.

5) What didn’t

Context-switch temptations: “just checking changing the song…” -> result 10 minutes searching for a good mood song.

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Your turn — share your best deep-work tips

I’d love to learn from you:

• A bulletproof entry ritual that never fails?
• A timer structure you like better than mine?
• Music/sounds that snap you into flow instantly?
• An anti-drift technique that works (especially remote)?
• Your non-negotiable rules during a session?

Drop your tips in the comments, I'd love to learn from you.

Comments

[Yalda Khoshpey]

This is awesome. My bulletproof ritual is a 5 minute meditation right before starting to clear the mental clutter. For anti-drift, I use a Chrome extension like StayFocusd to block distracting sites completely during my deep work blocks.😁

[Bertrand]

Oh thanks for your tips ! I should definitely start mediation too 🤓

[Yalda Khoshpey]

🌷✨

[Oscar]

I'm personally really dependent on the time of day, environment, and day of the week (habits, basically). I know that every Monday, when I sit down at my desk, it's time to work. The same can't be said about Saturday afternoons though!

[Nube Colectiva]

Thanks for the recommendations.

I usually use the Pomodoro technique to work.

As a software engineer I spent several hours creating.

It also helps me to exercise and read books to learn and have an agile mind.

It's important to find the methods and habits that are most beneficial to us; each person's situation may be different.

[Bertrand]

Oh you meant you also use pomodoro technique to read books for example ? Interesting !

[Cyber Safety Zone]

Really enjoyed reading your breakdown of deep work habits — the “entry ritual + structure + anti-drift” combo resonates a lot. 🙌

Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful that might fit into your routine or inspire others:

• Micro-routines before work: 30 seconds of stretching + deep breaths clears the mind and signals “work mode.”
• "Two-minute buffer" at start: take 2 mins to jot exactly what you’ll do first. Helps lock focus faster.
• Single-task mono-focus blocks: set a timer for 45–60 mins and promise yourself no switching—even if a “shiny idea” appears (dump those into a side list).
• Reflective pauses: after each block, ask: What worked? What distracted me? Helps you optimize next session.
• Ambient “cue” triggers: same playlist, same lighting, or even a scent (like a light diffuser)—these cues condition your brain over time.

Thanks again for sharing your setup — and I’m curious: do you ever allow “creative drift” slots (free-flow idea time) within deep work sessions, or do you avoid them entirely?

Looking forward to hearing others’ routines too 🙂