Deep work timer: 90 minutes of coding

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• 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.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.

4What to put on

brown noise — Lower and softer than white noise, closer to a waterfall heard from a distance. Good if white noise feels too hissy.