Focus session for admin and email: 50 minutes, vinyl crackle, if you are fitting this around other people

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• 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.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.

4What to put on

vinyl crackle — A thin layer of surface noise over nothing much. Just enough texture to stop the room feeling empty.