90-minute focus block for research — distant traffic, when you have tried everything else

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.