A 25-minute block for coding, with a washing machine, when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.