A 45-minute block for drawing, with a fireplace, when you are not sure this will work

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.

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.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.