25-minute focus session for writing with rain

1 Before you start

• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.