A 25-minute block for planning, with a library, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

1 Before you start

• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.

3 When it ends

• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.

4What to put on

a library — Almost nothing: distant footsteps, a chair, a page turning. Useful if you want the feeling of a room where work is normal.