45-minute focus block for data work — a stream, when you want to finish something

1 Before you start

• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.

2 While the timer runs

• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

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