A 25-minute block for admin and email, with distant thunder, when the house is busy

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• 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.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.

3 When it ends

• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.

4What to put on

distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.