25-minute focus block for data work — a fireplace, when you have been on screens all day

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.

3 When it ends

• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.

4What to put on

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