# Session Recap Template

> From NerdSmith Founder Track -- Module 0, Lesson 2: Context Window Management
> Use this structure when writing manual recaps (or customize what /recap generates).

---

## When to Use This

- After a productive Claude session, before closing
- When `/recap` isn't available or you want a custom format
- To create a "checkpoint" you can hand to Claude in the next session
- At the end of your workday to capture everything

---

## Instructions

1. Copy the template below into a new file
2. Save as: `session-recaps/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md` (e.g., `session-recaps/2026-02-08-product-validation.md`)
3. Fill in each section based on what happened in the session
4. Next session, tell Claude: "Read session-recaps/[filename] and continue where we left off"

---

## --- TEMPLATE --- Copy below this line ---

```markdown
# Session Recap: [Date] -- [Topic]

**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Duration:** [Approximate time spent]
**Context used:** [Approximate %, if known]
**Project:** [Project name]

---

## What We Accomplished

- [ ] [Task 1: What was done + where output was saved]
- [ ] [Task 2: What was done + where output was saved]
- [ ] [Task 3: What was done + where output was saved]

Example:
- [x] Generated product spec for "Task Automation" feature
  - Saved to: specs/task-automation-spec-v1.md
- [x] Analyzed 10 customer interviews for pain point patterns
  - Saved to: analysis/customer-insights-2026-02-08.md
- [x] Wrote landing page hero copy (3 iterations)
  - Saved to: marketing/landing-hero-v3.md

---

## Key Decisions Made

| Decision | Rationale |
|----------|-----------|
| [Decision 1] | [Why we decided this] |
| [Decision 2] | [Why we decided this] |

Example:
| Decision | Rationale |
|----------|-----------|
| Target audience: Remote teams, 10-50 people | 8/10 interviewees in this segment |
| Pricing: $49/user/month | Validated with 5 interviewees, competitive with market |
| Launch date: March 2026 | Gives 4 weeks for beta testing |

---

## Files Created or Modified

| File | Status | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| [filepath] | Created / Modified | [Brief note] |

Example:
| File | Status | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| specs/task-automation-spec-v1.md | Created | First draft, needs pricing section |
| analysis/customer-insights-2026-02-08.md | Created | Top 5 pain points identified |
| marketing/landing-hero-v3.md | Created | 3rd iteration, ready for review |

---

## Open Questions

- [Question 1: Something unresolved that needs attention]
- [Question 2: Something to investigate next session]

Example:
- Should we add a free tier? Need to model unit economics.
- Interview #7 mentioned a competitor we haven't researched yet (TaskBot).

---

## Next Steps (Priority Order)

1. [Next task -- highest priority]
2. [Next task]
3. [Next task]

Example:
1. Competitive analysis: Research TaskBot and 4 other competitors
2. Feature prioritization: RICE score the top 10 feature requests
3. Email sequence: Write 5-email onboarding flow

---

## Context for Next Session

[Write 2-3 sentences that give Claude enough context to pick up where you left off. Include project stage, what's been done, and what's next.]

Example:
We're validating a B2B collaboration tool for remote teams. Customer research is complete (10 interviews analyzed, top 5 pain points identified). Product spec v1 is drafted. Next session should focus on competitive analysis and feature prioritization before writing the landing page.
```

## --- END TEMPLATE ---

---

## Naming Convention for Recap Files

Store all recaps in a `session-recaps/` folder in your project:

```
session-recaps/
├── 2026-02-05-customer-research.md
├── 2026-02-08-product-validation.md
├── 2026-02-10-competitive-analysis.md
└── 2026-02-12-landing-page-copy.md
```

The date prefix keeps them sorted chronologically. The topic suffix helps you find the right one.

---

## How to Resume from a Recap

Start your next Claude session with:

```
Read session-recaps/2026-02-08-product-validation.md and continue with [next task from the recap].
```

Claude will load the context from your recap and pick up where you left off -- without re-reading all the original files.

---

*NerdSmith Founder Track -- Module 0: Claude Code Bootcamp*
*Download: Session Recap Template*