Splash Pond

Choose one or more of the prompts below and have fun splashing around! The more you experiment with different writing habits to find what works for you, the more productive your writing will become.

1. Set a timer for exactly 7 minutes and write continuously—see what emerges when time pressure eliminates hesitation.

2. Try "writing in the cracks"—use three separate 5-minute periods throughout your day for one project.

3. Write your to-do list in the form of a story: "Once upon a time, a scholar needed to..."

4. Spend 10 minutes writing about what you'd work on if you had unlimited time.

5. Write the same paragraph at three different times of day and compare the results.

1. Match writing tasks to energy levels: outline when tired, edit when alert, brainstorm when scattered.

2. Try "energy-based scheduling"—plan your week around your natural rhythms rather than artificial deadlines.

3. Write while walking (voice memo), then transcribe and see what changes.

4. Do five jumping jacks before a writing session and notice if it affects your thinking.

5. Write for 15 minutes immediately after waking up, before checking any devices.

1. Write with your phone in another room for one full session.

2. Try the "one-tab rule"—close everything except your writing document.

3. Write with a physical timer visible, adding 5 minutes each time you want to stop.

4. Use "constraint writing"—one sentence at a time with a 30-second pause between each.

5. Write in a completely different location than usual and notice how it affects your focus.

1. Start your writing session by typing "I don't know what to write about, but..."

2. Set up everything for tomorrow's writing session before you finish today's.

3. Try "writing in layers"—first session for ideas, second for structure, third for polish.

4. Keep a "done list" alongside your to-do list and review it weekly.

5. Write your next project proposal as if it were already completed: "This project discovered..."

1. End each writing session mid-sentence so you know exactly where to start next time.

2. Begin each session by reading and lightly editing your last paragraph.

3. Write a "tomorrow letter" to yourself explaining what you worked on and what comes next.

4. Try "bookend writing"—start and end your day with 10 minutes of the same project.

5. Create a "productivity playlist" and use it only during writing time.

Do you have a Splash Pond experiment to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email your ideas for splashing with Productivity to writespace@helensword.com.