50-minute focus session for decluttering with birds at dawn, when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.

3 When it ends

• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.

4What to put on

birds at dawn — Bright but not sharp. Better for early sessions than for late ones.