25-minute focus block for research — rain on a window, when you want to be left alone

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

4What to put on

rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.