90-minute focus block for admin and email — a fireplace, on a day that started badly

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.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.