A 25-minute block for writing, with vinyl crackle, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• 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

• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• 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.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

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