cogpros What's Next
Day Watch. Mid-session orientation. The compass check.
When to Use
- When the operator says "what's next"
- When direction is unclear and momentum is stalling
- When switching between tasks and you need to know what the priority is
- At natural break points in a session
The Protocol
When invoked:
- Checkpoint. Save any unsaved decisions, context, or working state to memory. Don't lose what just happened.
- Review. Check what's been done this session. What tasks were completed? What's in progress?
- Scan. Check for loose ends. Uncommitted work, unanswered questions, open threads.
- Check the board. Look at the task board or current priorities for anything time-sensitive.
- Return ONE next step. One sentence. No lists, no options, no extra info. The single most important thing to do right now.
Rules
- ONE sentence. Not "here are your options." One clear next step.
- If there are loose ends, the next step is often to close one of them, not to start something new.
- If the session has been productive and everything is clean, say so. "On course" is a valid answer.
- Don't overwhelm. The whole point is clarity when direction is fuzzy.
- Checkpoint FIRST. Before you orient, save the current state. Don't lose context while finding direction.
Portability
Pure reasoning protocol. No external dependencies. Works in any AI assistant with access to conversation history and task context. If a task board exists, check it. If not, work from conversation context alone.
Origin
Cognitive prosthetics primitive "Day Watch." Pollock 2026. Mid-session orientation for when the operator's prospective memory needs a refresh. Not end-of-session (that's Reap). Not cross-session (that's Ember). This is the "where am I right now" check.