Deep work timer: 50 minutes of portfolio work (a train carriage), when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• 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

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.

4What to put on

a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.