Focus session for research: 25 minutes, a train carriage, when you want to finish something

1 Before you start

• Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
• If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
• Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
• Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.

2 While the timer runs

• When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.

3 When it ends

• Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.

4What to put on

a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.