Deep work timer: 25 minutes of exam revision (rain on a window), when you have been on screens all day

1 Before you start

• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.

2 While the timer runs

• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.