A 25-minute block for brainstorming, with a fireplace, when you cannot concentrate on anything else

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.