50-minute focus block for writing — rain on a window, when your attention is scattered

1 Before you start

• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.

3 When it ends

• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.