A 45-minute block for exam revision, with distant traffic, when you only have a few minutes

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• 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.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.

3 When it ends

• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.