Deep work timer: 45 minutes of brainstorming (plain quiet), when the day has been loud

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• 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

• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

plain quiet — No added sound at all. If you have a quiet room, that is usually better than any recording of one.