Focus session for admin and email: 25 minutes, a stream, when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• 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 bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.