Focus session for applications and forms: 25 minutes, a fireplace, when you want to be left alone

1 Before you start

• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

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 catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.