"Wait, where was I?.... What was I doing again?"

I'm often asked when I'm writing books, what are my favourite 'writing hacks'. I find this hilarious, as writing is about as 'un-hacky' as any activity can be - there are certainly some good practices, but there are few shortcuts, and it's mostly a long slog that requires a lot of patience and even a touch of masochism.

But there is one trick I learnt, that I think we can apply it to productivity as a whole. It solves the problem of 're-entry' to any knowledge-based task - the bit where we are trying to get back in the groove after a break or interruption and we give ourselves the self-talk of "ok, so... where was I? wait... I was talking about this... that goes there..." and so on.

It's a simple trick. I can't remember where I got it from, but when I started using it a few years ago, I regretted not learning it about 3 books earlier. Here it is.

When you are shaping to go and make tea, or check on something, or hear the phone ringing, DON'T try and finish the sentence or the bit that you're on. Instead, deliberately leave yourself a half-finished sentence. Ideally, leave yourself the most open-goal of a half-finished sentence that feels almost criminal to leave undone as you get up. Yes, leave it undone, messy, and staring you right in the face. Abandon it and go do your other thing.

What that means is that when you return and sit down, and you see the cursor flashing over something obvious that needs completing, you're straight back in. Avoidance is much harder, and confusion is extremely unlikely. All you need to do is remember that half-finished idea of yours, using the broken sentence to help jog your memory. Simple.

And this isn't just a tip for writers. You can apply this to all kinds of knowledge work - reports, spreadsheets, graphic design, emails, social media posts... whatever it is you're focussed on.

We're taught from an early age that the most important thing in life is perfection and completion, but in work the most important thing is actually momentum.