Focus session for design work: 50 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, when you are on your own

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.

2 While the timer runs

• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.

4What to put on

a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.