Deep work timer: 25 minutes of thesis writing (a fireplace), when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.