50-minute focus session for exam revision with distant traffic, when you want something simple

1 Before you start

• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.

4What to put on

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