Deep work timer: 50 minutes of decluttering (distant thunder), when you are somewhere unfamiliar

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.

3 When it ends

• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.

4What to put on

distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.