A 90-minute block for editing, with a fan or air conditioner, when you are cold and want to be warm

1 Before you start

• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

2 While the timer runs

• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

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.