The "note to future me" trick that got me through essay writing. 📝

[SarahJones]

I have this terrible habit: I'd write for a few hours, get to a good stopping point, and then when I came back the next day, I'd spend 30 minutes just figuring out where I was and what I was supposed to do next. Such a waste of time.

Then I started doing something weird that actually works.

At the end of every writing session, I write a quick note to my future self. Not in the essay—just in a separate doc or even a sticky note. It says things like:

"Hey future me, you were about to add that counter-argument about climate policy. Remember that source from Smith? It's in your 'sources' folder. Also, the transition from paragraph 3 to 4 feels clunky—maybe add a sentence about X."

It takes 2 minutes. But when I sit down the next day, instead of staring at the screen confused, I know exactly what to do. It's like leaving breadcrumbs for yourself.

I also leave little encouragement notes: "You got this! This section is almost done!" Sounds cheesy, but future me appreciates the morale boost at 2 AM.

Now I never end a session without leaving instructions for tomorrow's me. It's like having a personal assistant who only works in the past.

Anyone else do something like this? How do you make it easier to pick up where you left off?

 

[Tommy]

I’ve heard writers call this "downhill writing"—you always stop at a point where you know what comes next, so starting the next day is easy. But you’ve taken it a step further with the actual note. I like it. My problem is I'm always too tired to write anything coherent at the end. Maybe I’ll just write “It’s the part with the thing. You know the one.” Better than nothing, right?