A 45-minute block for practising an instrument, with a stream, on a low-energy afternoon

1 Before you start

• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.

3 When it ends

• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.