Focus session for coding: 45 minutes, birds at dawn, if you are sceptical about all of this

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to 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.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

4What to put on

birds at dawn — Bright but not sharp. Better for early sessions than for late ones.