50-minute focus block for data work — a train carriage, when you only have a few minutes

1 Before you start

• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.

3 When it ends

• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• 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.