25-minute focus block for writing — a stream, before you go back to something hard

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.