25-minute editing session with rain on a window and a timer, when you cannot concentrate on anything else

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.

3 When it ends

• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.

4What to put on

rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.