AI for Transitions Between Activities

Switching tasks costs working memory, decision energy, and emotional regulation. Many autistic and ADHD people pay a higher tax than neurotypical peers. The fix is not to switch faster. The fix is to make the switch a known sequence, not a jump.

Anatomy of a transition

1. 1Close: save the current task and write the next step on it
2. 2Pause: 90 seconds of nothing — water, breath, walk to the kitchen
3. 3Cue: a song, a scent, a sentence that signals new activity
4. 4Open: name the new task in one sentence and the first step
5. 5Start: do the first step before the brain re-debates

The 'next step' note

Before you leave a task, write down the very next step on it. Not the goal. The next move. Future-you opening that task tomorrow now has a launching line and skips the cliff.

Key takeaway: a known sequence beats a willpower jump. Ritualize the transition.