Focus session for reading: 90 minutes, distant thunder, when the weather has kept you inside

1 Before you start

• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
• Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
• Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.

2 While the timer runs

• If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.

3 When it ends

• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

4What to put on

distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.