25-minute focus session for data work with a train carriage, when you need to stop thinking about work

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

4What to put on

a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.