A 25-minute block for drawing, with vinyl crackle, after a difficult conversation

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• 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 you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.

3 When it ends

• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.

4What to put on

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