A 50-minute block for writing, with a fan or air conditioner, when you have just finished work

1 Before you start

• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• 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.