A 45-minute block for practising an instrument, with a fan or air conditioner, when you have been putting it off

1 Before you start

• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.

2 While the timer runs

• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• 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.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

4What to put on

a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.