Session Management

Real projects take time. Sometimes days, sometimes weeks. You work on something, close the laptop and come back later... and then what? How do you remember where you were, and how do you keep from losing the thread on what you were doing?

Good session management is just being organized enough that future-you can pick up exactly where past-you left off.

The Problem with Long Projects#

When you work on a project over a bunch of days, a lot slips through the cracks.

• You forget what you were in the middle of
• You forget which files you changed
• You forget what problem you were trying to solve
• You forget what you already tried that didn't work

This is totally normal! Our brains are not great at holding a pile of details. That's exactly why we need systems.

Using Claude Code's Session Resume#

Claude Code has a built-in way to pick up where you left off. When you start it up in a project, it can bring back your earlier conversations.

Step 1. End Your Session#

When you're done working, you don't have to do anything special. Just close Claude Code. Your conversation history saves automatically.

Step 2. Resume Your Session#

Next time you start Claude Code in the same project, use the resume flag.

claude --resume

That pulls up a list of your past conversations so you can pick the one you want, and then Claude remembers what you were working on.

If you just want the most recent conversation from this folder, skip the list.

claude --continue

Step 3. Continue Where You Left Off#

Now you can jump right back in. Say something like "Let's continue working on the login feature" and Claude will have the context from before.

Good Habits for Session Management#

Claude's tools are only half of it. Here are some habits that keep you organized.

Write End-of-Session Notes#

Before you stop for the day, spend two minutes writing these down.

• What you got done
• What you were in the middle of
• What you planned to do next
• Any problems you were stuck on

Put the notes somewhere you'll actually see them. A comment in your code, a note in a TODO file, even a sticky note on your desk (low-tech counts).

Use Meaningful Commit Messages#

Your Git commits are basically a diary of your project. Good commit messages help you remember what you did and why.

Bad commit message

fixed stuff

Good commit message

Fix login button not responding on mobile devices
 
The click handler wasn't working on touch screens because
the button was behind an invisible overlay. Adjusted z-index.

Step 1. Commit Before You Stop#

Always commit your work before you end a session. Even if it's not finished, stage it and commit with a message like this one.

git add .
git commit -m "WIP: Working on user settings page, need to add validation"

WIP stands for "Work In Progress." It tells future-you (or your teammates) that this isn't done yet.

Use Branches for Organization#

Each branch should be about one thing. When you come back after a break, you can tell what you were doing just by checking your branch name.

git branch

Output like this tells you a LOT.

* bugfix/login-mobile
  docs/api-reference
  feature/user-settings
  main

You can see you've got a few things going, and right now you're on the mobile login bugfix.

Tracking Tasks#

Bigger projects need some way to track what's left to do. Here are a couple simple approaches.

TODO Comments#

The simplest one is dropping TODO comments right in your code.

// TODO: Add error handling for network failures
// TODO: Write tests for this function
// FIXME: This is slow, optimize later

Most code editors highlight these. You can also search for them.

grep -r "TODO" .

A Simple TODO File#

Make a TODO.md file in your project.

# TODO
 
## In Progress
- [ ] Fix login button on mobile
 
## Up Next
- [ ] Add password reset feature
- [ ] Write user documentation
 
## Done
- [x] Set up project structure
- [x] Create login page

That gives you a quick overview the moment you come back to the project.

Starting a New Session#

When you come back to a project, take a few minutes to get your bearings.

Step 1. Check Your Notes#

Read whatever notes you left yourself. What were you working on? What was the plan?

Step 2. Check Git Status#

See what's changed since your last commit.

git status
git log --oneline -5

That shows your uncommitted changes and your most recent commits.

Step 3. Check Your Branch#

Which branch are you on? Is it the right one?

git branch

Step 4. Resume with Claude#

If you're using Claude Code, fire it back up.

claude --resume

Give Claude a quick summary of what you want to work on.

Working on Multiple Projects#

Sometimes you've got several projects going at once. Here's how to keep them straight.

Separate Folders#

Keep each project in its own folder. Sounds obvious, but it really helps.

~/projects/
  recipe-app/
  portfolio-site/
  budget-tracker/

Separate Terminal Windows#

When you're working on more than one project, use separate terminal windows or tabs. Label them with the project name if your terminal lets you.

Different Branches for Different Tasks#

Even inside one project, use branches to keep tasks apart.

feature/user-auth
feature/recipe-search
bugfix/image-loading

You can hop between them as needed, and each one keeps its own history.

When You Get Stuck#

Sometimes you come back to a project and have NO idea what's going on. Here's how to get unstuck.

1. Read your recent commits - git log shows what you did
2. Check for TODO comments - Search your code for TODO or FIXME
3. Look at open branches - Each branch is a task you started
4. Ask Claude - Describe the project and ask it to help you figure out where you left off

TL;DR#

• Session management helps future-you pick up where you left off
• Use claude --resume to continue an earlier Claude Code conversation
• Always commit before ending a session, even if the work isn't done (mark it WIP)
• Write quick notes about what you were doing and what's next
• Good commit messages work like a diary for your project
• Use branches to keep different tasks organized
• Take a few minutes to get your bearings when you start a new session

What's Next?#

Congrats, you finished the Git Workflows module! Here's what you can do now.

• Work in branches to keep your code organized
• Use worktrees to work on multiple branches at once
• Fork projects and contribute to repositories you don't own
• Take part in open source communities
• Manage your work across long projects and multiple sessions

These skills carry over to pretty much any project you'll ever touch. Next up is the Hosting module, where we look at why apps lean on outside services and then get your app live on the internet...