25-minute focus session for brainstorming with plain quiet, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

1 Before you start

• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.

2 While the timer runs

• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• 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

• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

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.