90-minute focus block for portfolio work — a library, when you want something simple

1 Before you start

• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

a library — Almost nothing: distant footsteps, a chair, a page turning. Useful if you want the feeling of a room where work is normal.