Deep work timer: 25 minutes of studying

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.

4What to put on

birds at dawn — Bright but not sharp. Better for early sessions than for late ones.