25-minute focus session for exam revision with plain quiet, when you have woken up too early

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

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.