25-minute focus block for coding — a fireplace, if you are sceptical about all of this

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.

2 While the timer runs

• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.