25-minute drawing session with plain quiet and a timer, when you are waiting for something

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.

3 When it ends

• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

4What to put on

plain quiet — No added sound at all. If you have a quiet room, that is usually better than any recording of one.