25-minute thesis writing session with a washing machine and a timer, when you are not in the mood

1 Before you start

• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• 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 start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.