50-minute focus session for research with café murmur, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

1 Before you start

• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• 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.

2 While the timer runs

• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.

3 When it ends

• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

4What to put on

café murmur — The blur of other people talking, with none of the words close enough to follow. Some people concentrate better with a low level of company.