90-minute focus block for portfolio work — a washing machine, when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• 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.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.

3 When it ends

• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.