25-minute focus block for problem solving — plain quiet, after eating too much

1 Before you start

• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.

3 When it ends

• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

plain quiet — No added sound at all. If you have a quiet room, that is usually better than any recording of one.