25-minute focus block for problem solving — a fireplace, when you only have a few minutes

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

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