90-minute data work session with café murmur and a timer, when you have been on screens all day

1 Before you start

• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.

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.