A 50-minute block for drawing, with a fan or air conditioner, when you are waiting for something

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

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.