50-minute drawing session with café murmur and a timer, when your attention is scattered

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.

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.