45-minute focus block for coding — a stream, when you have already had a long week

1 Before you start

• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• 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.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.