90-minute focus block for applications and forms — forest at dusk, when you are somewhere noisy

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

2 While the timer runs

• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.

3 When it ends

• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

forest at dusk — Birds settling, leaves moving, nothing sudden. It works because it sounds like a place you can safely ignore.