A 25-minute block for coding, with white noise, when you have already had a long week

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• 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.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

4What to put on

white noise — Flat across all frequencies and very effective at covering speech. Some people find it harsh after an hour; keep the volume low.