A 45-minute block for planning, with distant thunder, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

1 Before you start

• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• 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.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.