25-minute writing session with brown noise and a timer, when you want to be left alone

1 Before you start

• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.

2 While the timer runs

• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.

3 When it ends

• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.

4What to put on

brown noise — Lower and softer than white noise, closer to a waterfall heard from a distance. Good if white noise feels too hissy.