Work With Your Brain, Not Against It
This approach respects how your brain actually works. Deep focus is exhausting, and most writers hit a wall after 25-30 minutes. Instead of pushing through diminishing returns, you recharge between sprints and come back refreshed.
If you struggle with procrastination or feel overwhelmed by long writing sessions, this exercise is for you. A five-minute sprint feels manageable, even on hard days. String a few together, and suddenly you've written more than you expected—without the mental exhaustion.
Sprint, Rest, Repeat
Set your work interval and break interval—whatever fits your schedule. The timer starts, and you write until it ends.
When the work interval ends, a break screen appears. Step away from your writing—stretch, get a drink, look out the window. The break is mandatory; you can't skip it.
After the break, the next work interval begins automatically. Repeat for as many rounds as you like. Your total word count accumulates across all intervals.
Related Exercises
Basic Practice
The simplest way to build your daily writing habit—just you, a timer, and words on the page.
Quest Mode
Turn your writing practice into an adventure—defeat monsters by hitting word and time goals.
No E Challenge
The classic lipogram constraint—write an entire piece without using the most common letter in English.
Blind Mode
Write without seeing your text—trust your instincts and discover what emerges when you can't self-edit.
POV Swap
Write the same scene from three different perspectives and discover how point of view transforms a story.
Social Media Story
Tell a story through social media posts—master the art of narrative compression.
Alphabet Challenge
A playful constraint that sharpens your vocabulary—each sentence must start with the last letter of the previous one.
Character Interview
Answer questions as your character—discover their voice, quirks, and hidden depths.
Word Avalanche
Can you keep up? Word targets increase throughout your session, pushing your endurance to the limit.
Story Dice
Roll for random story elements—characters, settings, objects—and weave them into your narrative.
Prompt Frenzy
Stay on your toes as random writing prompts appear mid-session, challenging you to adapt on the fly.
Timed Sprint
Race the clock and push your writing speed—see how many words you can produce when time is tight.