Focus session for admin and email: 25 minutes, distant traffic, if you are tired of apps

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.