90-minute focus session for drawing with a fan or air conditioner, when you are too tired to try hard

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

4What to put on

a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.