Deep work timer: 50 minutes of editing (a library), when you want something simple

1 Before you start

• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.

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.