45-minute data work session with distant thunder and a timer, when you have already had a long week

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.

3 When it ends

• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.

4What to put on

distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.