90-minute focus session for studying with vinyl crackle, when you want to be left alone

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• 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.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

vinyl crackle — A thin layer of surface noise over nothing much. Just enough texture to stop the room feeling empty.