Focus session for coding: 50 minutes, a stream, when you have more time than usual

1 Before you start

• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

4What to put on

a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.