Deep work timer: 50 minutes of reading (plain quiet), when you are not in the mood

1 Before you start

• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

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.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.

4What to put on

plain quiet — No added sound at all. If you have a quiet room, that is usually better than any recording of one.