25-minute focus block for drawing — distant traffic, when the house is busy

1 Before you start

• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.