90-minute focus block for brainstorming — a stream, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.