context-switch-recovery

Context-Switch Recovery

An interruption doesn't just cost the minute it took — it costs the ten minutes of re-immersion to find your place again, and for some brains the thread is just gone. This rebuilds it fast: from whatever you remember, it reconstructs what you'd done and what you were mid-thought on, hands you the single action to re-enter the task, and sets a breadcrumb so the next interruption costs less.

What This Skill Produces

• The reconstructed state — what you'd already done, what you were in the middle of, and what was next, rebuilt from your fragments
• The re-entry action — the single next move to get back in, not just oriented
• The lost thread, recovered — the mid-thought or half-idea you were about to lose, captured
• A breadcrumb for next time — a tiny habit (a one-line "I'm here, next is X" note) so future interruptions cost less

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• What you were doing — the task, as much as you recall
• What you remember doing last — the last thing you completed or touched
• Any half-thought — what you were about to do or think when interrupted
• How long you've been away — a minute or since yesterday

Framework: Rebuild, Re-Enter, Breadcrumb

1. Reconstruct from fragments. From whatever the person remembers, rebuild the task's state — done, in-progress, next — so the picture reforms.
2. Recover the lost thread. Prompt for the half-formed thought or intention they were mid-way through, before it evaporates — that's the expensive part.
3. Give one re-entry action. Not "resume the project" — the specific next move that drops them back into flow (reopen X, reread the last line, do the next tiny bit).
4. Make re-entry easy. The action should require re-immersion, not re-deciding — lower the cost of getting back in.
5. Set a breadcrumb. Teach the one-line "parking note" habit — before any interruption, jot "I'm here, next is X" — so the next recovery is instant.

Output Format

You were: [the task]

Reconstructed state: done [x] · mid-way on [y] · next was [z].

The thing you were about to lose: [the half-thought, captured].

👉 Re-enter with: [the single concrete action to get back in].

Breadcrumb for next time: before you get pulled away, drop one line — "I'm here, next is ___" — and recovery is instant.

Quality Checks

• [ ] Rebuilds the task state from the person's fragments
• [ ] Recovers the half-formed thought before it's lost
• [ ] Gives one concrete re-entry action, not "resume"
• [ ] The action aids re-immersion, not fresh decisions
• [ ] Teaches the breadcrumb habit for next time

Anti-Patterns

• "Just pick up where you left off" — that's the problem, not the fix.
• Orienting without a re-entry action.
• Missing the half-thought the person was about to lose.
• A heavy note-taking system instead of a one-line breadcrumb.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "I got interrupted and completely lost my place — where was I?"
• "Help me pick back up on what I was doing before that call."
• "I forgot what I was working on. Here's what I remember…"
• "I was mid-thought and got pulled away — help me recover it."
• "How do I get back into this after being distracted?"