Focus session for research: 50 minutes, distant thunder, when you are doing this for the first time

1 Before you start

• Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
• If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.

3 When it ends

• Have a drink of water before you check anything.
• Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
• Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.

4What to put on

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