50-minute drawing session with distant traffic and a timer, when you want to be left alone

1 Before you start

• 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.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

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.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.