Focus session for research: 25 minutes, a washing machine, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

1 Before you start

• Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
• Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
• Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.

2 While the timer runs

• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
• If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
• Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.