50-minute focus session for design work with white noise, when you are somewhere unfamiliar

1 Before you start

• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
• 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.

2 While the timer runs

• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.

3 When it ends

• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

4What to put on

white noise — Flat across all frequencies and very effective at covering speech. Some people find it harsh after an hour; keep the volume low.