Deep work timer: 25 minutes of exam revision (vinyl crackle), on a low-energy afternoon

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.

3 When it ends

• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

4What to put on

vinyl crackle — A thin layer of surface noise over nothing much. Just enough texture to stop the room feeling empty.