Focus session for language practice: 45 minutes, rain on a window, before you go back to something hard

1 Before you start

• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.

2 While the timer runs

• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.

3 When it ends

• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

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.