Deep work timer: 25 minutes of editing (a stream), when you have woken up too early

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".
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.

3 When it ends

• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.

4What to put on

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