A 90-minute block for planning, with a stream, when you are doing this for the first time

1 Before you start

• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.

4What to put on

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