# Session Management Cheat Sheet

> From NerdSmith Founder Track -- Module 0, Lesson 5: Session Management
> Quick reference for managing Claude Code sessions like a pro.

---

## When to Continue vs. Start Fresh

| Situation | Action | Why |
|-----------|--------|-----|
| Context under 50%, same task | **Continue** | Plenty of room, keep momentum |
| Iterating on output ("make it punchier") | **Continue** | Claude has full context of previous versions |
| Quick follow-up question | **Continue** | Not worth the reset overhead |
| Context hits 75-80% | **Recap and start fresh** | Quality degrades past 80% |
| Switching to a different task | **Recap and start fresh** | New task needs clean context |
| Claude seems confused/forgetful | **Recap and start fresh** | Context is likely overloaded |
| After 2+ hours of work | **Recap and start fresh** | Natural break point |
| Major misunderstanding | **Recap and start fresh** | Easier than correcting mid-stream |

---

## Context Health at a Glance

```
0%            50%           75%     80%         100%
|--- GREEN ----|--- YELLOW ---|--ORA--|--- RED ---|
  Work freely     Plan ahead   Recap   STOP
                                soon
```

**Check context:** Type `/usage` in Claude Code.

---

## The /recap Workflow

```
Step 1:  Type /recap
Step 2:  Claude summarizes (decisions, outputs, next steps)
Step 3:  Start a NEW session
Step 4:  Say: "Read session-recaps/[filename] and continue"
```

### DO recap when:
- Context hits 75%
- Switching tasks
- Before loading a big batch of files
- End of a work block (lunch, end of day)

### DON'T recap when:
- Context under 50%
- Claude is mid-output (let it finish first)
- You just started
- You're iterating on the same thing

---

## Recovering from Mistakes

| Mistake Type | Recovery |
|-------------|----------|
| **Wrong output** (misunderstood task) | "That's not what I need. Let me clarify: [restate task with more detail]" |
| **Wrong file edited** | "Undo that change. Edit [correct file] instead. Here's what to change: [specifics]" |
| **Missing sections** | "This is incomplete. Add these missing sections: [list them]" |
| **Forgot your instructions** | Remind: "Remember, I asked for [tone/format/constraint]. Rewrite with that in mind." |
| **Completely off track** | "Let's start fresh. Ignore everything above. New task: [full prompt with context]" |

**Key principle:** Clarify, don't blame. Claude recalibrates quickly when you're specific about what went wrong.

---

## Multi-Turn Workflow Pattern

Most founder tasks follow this cycle:

```
Turn 1: Initial request     → Claude generates first draft
Turn 2: Review + refine     → "Good. Change X and Y."
Turn 3: Polish              → "Almost there. Adjust the tone."
Turn 4: Save                → "Save to [folder/filename]"
```

Typical cost: 5-10% of context window per task.

---

## Session Planning Template

Before starting, decide:

```
Today's session plan:
1. Task: _____________ (est. ___% context)
2. Task: _____________ (est. ___% context)
3. Task: _____________ (est. ___% context)

Recap after task #: ___
Total estimated: ___% (must be under 80%)
```

---

## Daily Workflow Structure

### Morning Block (1-2 hours)

```
9:00  Start session
      → Read previous recap if resuming
      → Do 1 heavy task (research, analysis)
10:30 /recap

10:35 Start session 2
      → Do 1-2 light tasks (specs, copy)
11:30 /recap
```

### Afternoon Block (1-2 hours)

```
1:00  Start session 3
      → Read morning recaps for context
      → Content creation or iteration
2:30  /recap

2:35  Start session 4 (optional)
      → Quick tasks, follow-ups
3:00  /recap (end of day summary)
```

### End of Day

```
Review all recaps from today
Note tomorrow's priorities
```

---

## Pro Tips

1. **Name your sessions** with descriptive first prompts ("Let's work on competitive analysis for TaskBot") -- easier to find later
2. **Read previous recaps first** when resuming after a break -- gives Claude full context at low token cost
3. **Put recurring instructions in CLAUDE.md** -- saves repeating them every session
4. **Break heavy tasks across sessions** -- one competitive analysis per session, not five
5. **Finish the current task before recapping** -- mid-task recaps lose momentum

---

## The Numbers

| Metric | Guideline |
|--------|-----------|
| Max context per session | 80% (160K tokens) |
| Ideal context per session | 30-50% |
| Recap frequency | Every 2 hours or at 75% |
| Sessions per heavy task | 1 session per analysis/research task |
| Turns per task (typical) | 3-5 turns |
| Time per focused session | 45-90 minutes |

---

*NerdSmith Founder Track -- Module 0: Claude Code Bootcamp*
*Download: Session Management Cheat Sheet*