90-minute focus block for coding — vinyl crackle, on a low-energy afternoon

1 Before you start

• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

4What to put on

vinyl crackle — A thin layer of surface noise over nothing much. Just enough texture to stop the room feeling empty.