Deep work timer: 50 minutes of design work (a washing machine), when nothing else has worked today

1 Before you start

• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.

3 When it ends

• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.