Focus session for exam revision: 25 minutes, café murmur, if you are sceptical about all of this

1 Before you start

• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• 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

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.