Build the Bridge
Close this cleanly before I open the next thing.
Before switching tasks, take 30 seconds: write one sentence summarising where you are on the current task and the single next step you'd take. Close the materials. Take one breath. Then open the next task. This micro-ritual reduces the residue the previous task leaves behind.
You're about to switch from one type of work to another — especially between deep and shallow work.
You're transitioning between very similar tasks where context carries over naturally.
Why it works
A deliberate transition reduces attention residue from the previous task, so you arrive at the next one with more of your cognitive capacity available.
The problem with task-switching isn’t the switch itself — it’s the residue. Your brain drags fragments of the previous task into the next one, especially when the first task was unfinished. That residue degrades everything you do next. The one-sentence summary works because it gives your brain a closure signal even though the task isn’t complete. Writing the next step creates a plan that satisfies the nagging open loop. The breath between tasks isn’t meditation — it’s a cognitive palate cleanser. Think of it like saving a file before opening a new one. Without the save, you’re running both programs at once and neither one gets full resources.