Focus session for decluttering: 45 minutes, a train carriage, when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.

3 When it ends

• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

4What to put on

a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.