Focus session for data work: 50 minutes, distant traffic, when you want to finish something

1 Before you start

• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.

3 When it ends

• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.

4What to put on

distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.