Deep work timer: 90 minutes of exam revision

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".

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 have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

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.