Focus session for problem solving: 50 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, after eating too much

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• 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.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• 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.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.

3 When it ends

• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.