Focus session for thesis writing: 45 minutes, forest at dusk, when you have been meaning to start

1 Before you start

• Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
• Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
• Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.

2 While the timer runs

• When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
• If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
• The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
• When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.

3 When it ends

• If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
• Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
• Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.

4What to put on

forest at dusk — Birds settling, leaves moving, nothing sudden. It works because it sounds like a place you can safely ignore.