A 45-minute block for editing, with plain quiet, if you have five quiet minutes

1 Before you start

• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

plain quiet — No added sound at all. If you have a quiet room, that is usually better than any recording of one.