50-minute decluttering session with a train carriage and a timer, when the weather has kept you inside

1 Before you start

• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.

2 While the timer runs

• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.

3 When it ends

• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.

4What to put on

a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.