50-minute admin and email session with a washing machine and a timer, when you feel restless rather than tired

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.

2 While the timer runs

• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.