Focus session for decluttering: 45 minutes, café murmur, when the weather has kept you inside

1 Before you start

• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• 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.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

• Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
• Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.

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.