Do One Thing for 25 Minutes

How to do it

1. Define one task as clearly as possible: check invoice instead of admin.
2. Keep a note or sheet of paper open as a parking lot.
3. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
4. Work only on that one task until the timer ends.
5. When side thoughts appear, park them in the note instead of following them.
6. After the timer, choose deliberately: continue, take a break, or switch tasks.

Why it helps

Multitasking feels busy, but every switch has a cost. Your brain has to reload the context each time you jump between email, chat, a document, and a to-do list.

Twenty-five minutes is long enough to make visible progress and short enough that you do not need perfect motivation first. The point is not heroic discipline. It is a small, clear boundary.

Use a parking lot for distractions

The parking lot is what makes the block practical. During focused work, other things will pop up: a message to answer, a small errand, a useful idea, a random worry.

Write it down immediately. It is captured, so your brain can stop waving it around. After 25 minutes, review the list. Some items will matter. Many were just noise with bad timing.

When to break the rule

Do not apply this rigidly when you are on call, caring for children, handling urgent calls, or dealing with a real emergency. In those cases, responsiveness is part of the job.

For ordinary work, the useful question is simple: what is the one thing that should be further along 25 minutes from now?