Focus session for practising an instrument: 50 minutes, rain on a window, when you have already had a long week

1 Before you start

• Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
• When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
• If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.

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.