A 90-minute block for decluttering, with a washing machine, when the weather has kept you inside

1 Before you start

• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• 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.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.

3 When it ends

• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.