Getting Started
The spark that gets the first line on the page.
"Small spark first. We'll grow it."
Helps with: the stall before the start — two-minute starts, countdowns, and permission to write a bad first version.
Staying Calm
Drifts slowly so you can too.
"Let's float for a minute."
Helps with: settling before work and resetting after frustration — breath pacing, grounding, slowing a racing start.
Never Giving Up
Slow, steady, still moving.
"Slow still counts."
Helps with: persistence through boring or hard work, and restarting after a mistake. Frames effort, not speed, as the win.
Staying Focused
Holds the current steady until the timer runs out.
"Eyes back. Still here."
Helps with: sustained attention — short timed sprints, gentle drift check-ins, one-thing-at-a-time rules.
Quieting Worries
Heavy in a good way — keeps the swirl from taking over.
"Set it down here. It'll keep."
Helps with: pre-task worry, perfectionism, and what-ifs. Parks a named worry in a "worry pocket" and hands it back afterwards.
Remembering Steps
Keeps the list when the list won't stay in your head.
"Step one. Only step one."
Helps with: working memory and multi-step instructions — breaking a task into steps and showing only the current one.
Late-Night Focus
The one still awake, keeping you company on the last stretch.
"One more page, then we call it."
Helps with: evening sessions — choosing what is genuinely worth finishing tonight, and stopping cleanly afterwards.
Handling Surprises
The plan changed. Splash didn't mind.
"New plan, same finish line."
Helps with: transitions and interruptions — swapping the order of work, recovering when something doesn't go as expected.
Finishing Strong
Best in the last ten minutes.
"Last stretch. Make it count."
Helps with: the final section — checking work, resisting the rushed ending, and closing the session with a proper finish.
Sorting Big Feelings
Names the feeling so it stops running the show.
"Which one is it closest to?"
Helps with: naming and sorting emotions before or during work — frustration, overwhelm, and restarting after a hard moment.