Deep work timer: 45 minutes of design work (a stream), when you are short on time

1 Before you start

• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

2 While the timer runs

• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• 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 the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.