Focus session for exam revision: 90 minutes, brown noise, when you have been putting it off

1 Before you start

• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.

2 While the timer runs

• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• 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.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Have a drink of water before you check anything.

4What to put on

brown noise — Lower and softer than white noise, closer to a waterfall heard from a distance. Good if white noise feels too hissy.