Deep work timer: 45 minutes of drawing (a library), when you are not sure this will work

1 Before you start

• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.

2 While the timer runs

• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.

4What to put on

a library — Almost nothing: distant footsteps, a chair, a page turning. Useful if you want the feeling of a room where work is normal.