The Hemingway Trick for Starting Work

I used to finish everything before closing my laptop. Complete all tasks, tie up loose ends, end the day clean. It felt like winning.

The next morning felt different. I'd open my laptop and stare at my task list, not sure where to begin. Everything was at zero. Even though I went to sleep feeling accomplished, that momentum was gone by morning.

Now I do the opposite. I stop five to ten minutes before completing a bigger task. I leave one thing unfinished on purpose.

Last night I was refactoring a component in Edicek. I had maybe ten minutes of work left. I saved my progress and closed the laptop. I went to sleep knowing exactly what I'd finish first thing this morning.

This morning I opened the file and finished that refactor in eight minutes. Then I kept going. It felt like continuing yesterday's work, not starting from scratch. I was already in contact with the code, already thinking about the problem.

Hemingway did this with writing. He'd stop mid-sentence so he'd know exactly where to continue the next day. The empty page is paralyzing. The half-finished sentence isn't.

I don't finish my workday anymore. I stop one step before done.