Focus session for drawing: 90 minutes, rain on a window, when you have been meaning to start

1 Before you start

• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.

4What to put on

rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.