45-minute focus session for thesis writing with café murmur, when you are short on time

1 Before you start

• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• 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 are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

café murmur — The blur of other people talking, with none of the words close enough to follow. Some people concentrate better with a low level of company.