hemingway-bridge

Hemingway Bridge — PARA-Aware Session Handoffs

Capture session state using the Hemingway Bridge technique: stop work while momentum is still high, document current status, next steps, and open questions so the next session starts with zero ramp-up time.

Named after Hemingway's practice of stopping mid-sentence so he always knew where to pick up the next day.

When to Use

• End of any work session (before the user is exhausted)
• Pausing or shelving a project
• Before going on vacation or leave
• Handing off work to someone else
• When the user says "I'm done for today"
• Proactively at end of long sessions involving PARA work

Hemingway Bridge Capture Process

Step 1: Identify Active Context

Ask one question:

"What were you working on today? Give me a quick brain dump -- projects touched, decisions made, anything unfinished."

If the session context is already clear from conversation history, skip the question and proceed directly.

Step 2: Build the Bridge

Capture these four elements:

1. Current Status -- What was just completed or accomplished
2. Next Steps -- What was planned next (be specific: "write the intro section" not "keep working on it")
3. Open Questions -- Unresolved decisions, blockers, or unknowns
4. First Action -- The single, concrete thing to do when returning (this eliminates decision fatigue at session start)

Step 3: Map to PARA Context

Add PARA-specific context to the bridge:

• Active Project: Which project folder this work belongs to
• Materials Created: New IPs, notes, or drafts produced this session
• Materials Needed: What to gather or read before the next session
• Capture Inbox: Anything captured during the session that still needs to be sorted into PARA folders

Step 4: Write the Bridge Note

Generate a bridge note in this format:

## Hemingway Bridge — [Project Name]
**Date:** [today's date]
**Session Duration:** [approximate time spent]

### Status
[What was accomplished this session — outcomes only, not narrative]

### Next Steps
1. [Specific next action — the thing to do FIRST when returning]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority]

### Open Questions
- [Decision or unknown that needs resolving]
- [Blocker or dependency]

### PARA Context
- **Project:** [Project folder name]
- **New IPs created:** [List any Intermediate Packets produced]
- **Unsorted captures:** [Items still in inbox needing classification]
- **Related materials:** [Notes/files to review next session]

### Momentum Notes
[Anything to preserve the creative state — a half-formed idea, an intuition
about direction, a connection noticed but not yet explored]

Step 5: File the Bridge

Recommend where to save the bridge note:

• Inside the project folder if the work is project-specific
• In the daily log if multiple projects were touched
• In HANDOFF.md if integrating with rad-session (see below)

Integration with rad-session

When the rad-session plugin is installed, the Hemingway Bridge integrates with the /wrapup skill's three-tier persistence model:

HANDOFF.md Integration

The bridge note maps to HANDOFF.md sections:

Hemingway Bridge	HANDOFF.md Section
Status	Last Session Summary
Next Steps	Open Work
Open Questions	Open Work
First Action	Where I Left Off
Decisions made	Key Decisions
Failed approaches	What NOT To Do
New IPs created	Modified Files
Momentum Notes	Key Insights

When /wrapup runs after a PARA-focused session, incorporate the PARA Context section into the handoff:

## Where I Left Off
- [Project Name]: [specific task in progress]
- PARA inbox has [N] unsorted captures from this session

## Open Work
- [Next Step 1]: [current state]
- [Open Question]: [context needed for decision]

## Key Insights
- New IP created: [description] — filed in [PARA location]
- [Momentum note or creative intuition worth preserving]

Session Startup Integration

When starting a new session after a Hemingway Bridge was written:

1. Read the bridge note (or HANDOFF.md if using rad-session)
2. Present the "First Action" to the user immediately
3. Surface any unsorted inbox items for quick PARA classification
4. Resume work with full context -- zero ramp-up time

Bonus: Send-Off Technique

Before wrapping up, suggest the user send a draft or work-in-progress for feedback:

"Consider sharing what you have so far with someone for feedback. When you return, you'll have fresh input waiting -- a natural on-ramp back into the work."

This combines the Hemingway Bridge (preserving momentum) with the IP feedback loop (getting external input while you're away).

Key Principles

• Stop before exhaustion. The bridge works best when written with energy remaining.
• Be specific, not vague. "Write the introduction paragraph for the API doc" beats "keep working on the docs."
• Preserve creative state. Half-formed ideas and intuitions are the most fragile context -- capture them even if they feel incomplete.
• One clear first action. The next session should start with zero decision-making.

Reference Files

For the full Hemingway Bridge technique and other creative techniques:

• ../para-organize/references/creative_techniques.md -- Complete technique descriptions