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In our work looking at how we operate, I thought people might value some content from one of my favourite books Building a 2nd Brain by Tiago Forte.

Here, I’ve outlined one of his frameworks, The Hemingway Bridge. Enjoy!

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🌉 The Hemingway Bridge: Use Yesterday's Momentum Today

Ernest Hemingway was one of the most recognised and influential novelists of the twentieth century. He wrote in an economical, under. stated style that profoundly influenced a generation of writers and led to his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

Besides his prolific works, Hemingway was known for a particular writing strategy, which I call the "Hemingway Bridge." He would always end a writing session only when he knew what came next in the story. Instead of exhausting every last idea and bit of energy, he would stop when the next plot point became clear. This meant that the next time he sat down to work on his story, he knew exactly where to start. He built himself a bridge to the next day, using today's energy and momentum to fuel tomorrow's writing.

You can think of a Hemingway Bridge as a bridge between the islands in your Archipelago of Ideas. You may have the islands, but that is just the first step. The much more challenging work is linking them together into something that makes sense, whether it is a piece of writing, the design of an event, or a business pitch. The Hemingway Bridge is a way of making each creative leap from one island to the next less dramatic and risky: you keep some energy and imagination in reserve and use it as a launchpad for the next step in your progress.

How do you create a Hemingway Bridge? Instead of burning through every last ounce of energy at the end of a work session, reserve the last few minutes to write down some of the following kinds of things in your digital notes:

• Write down ideas for next steps; At the end of a work session, write down what you think the next steps could be for the next one.
• Write down the current status: This could include your current biggest challenge, most important open question, or future roadblocks you expect.
• Write down any details you have in mind that are likely to be forgotten once you step away: Such as details about the characters in your story, the pitfalls of the event you're planning, or the subtle considerations of the product you're designing.
• Write out your intention for the next work session: Set an' intention for what you plan on tackling next, the problem you intend to solve, or a certain milestone you want to reach.

The next time you resume this endeavour, whether that's the next day or months later, you'll have a rich set of jumping-off points and next steps waiting for you. I often find that my subconscious mind keeps working in the background to help me improve on those thoughts. When I return to the project, I can combine the results of my past thinking with the power of a good night's sleep and put them together into a creative breakthrough.

To take this strategy a step further, there is one more thing you can do as you wrap up the day's work: send off your draft or beta or proposal for feedback. Share this Intermediate Packet with a friend, family member, colleague, or collaborator; tell them that it's still a work-in-process and ask them to send you their thoughts on it. The next time you sit down and work on it again, you’ll have their input and suggestions to add to the mix of material you’re working with.