25-minute focus session for decluttering with vinyl crackle, after eating too much

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

vinyl crackle — A thin layer of surface noise over nothing much. Just enough texture to stop the room feeling empty.