90-minute focus block for research — a stream, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

1 Before you start

• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.

4What to put on

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