Focus session for brainstorming: 25 minutes, café murmur, when you have been on screens all day

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.

2 While the timer runs

• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.

3 When it ends

• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

café murmur — The blur of other people talking, with none of the words close enough to follow. Some people concentrate better with a low level of company.