A 90-minute block for planning, with distant traffic, if you have five quiet minutes

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• 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.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.

2 While the timer runs

• 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.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.

3 When it ends

• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.