Focus session for editing: 50 minutes, a train carriage, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

1 Before you start

• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.

2 While the timer runs

• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.

3 When it ends

• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

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.