Focus session for thesis writing: 90 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, when you are waiting for something

1 Before you start

• Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
• Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
• Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
• Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
• Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.

2 While the timer runs

• It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
• If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
• Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
• Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.

3 When it ends

• Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
• Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
• Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.

4What to put on

a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.