--- title: "Keep a project file and session log so side-project hours go to work, not recall" description: "Write a project status file, a client preference file, and a session log so AI tells you where you left off when you only have two hours." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-memory-for-side-hustles" date: "2026-01-28" modified: "2026-09-25" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Real estate - Real estate - [Real estate](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - Work - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Prepare your six-question brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prepare-your-six-question-brief) - Build - [Site build, content library with SEO, signal desk](https://scalewithsearch.com/work) - For your business - Trades and home services - [Auto body and collision shops](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/auto-body-and-collision-shops) - [Foundation and home repair contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/foundation-and-home-repair) - 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It is Tuesday night. You have two hours after the kids go to bed. You open your laptop, look at your side project, and spend 20 minutes on where you left off on Saturday. What were you building? What was the next step? Where did you save that asset? What did the client say? By the time you rebuild the context, you have 90 minutes left. You make some progress, save your work, and close the laptop. Saturday morning, you have three hours. You open the laptop and do it all again. The side project gets relearned at the start of every session. This page shows how three small files end that loop. ## The side project continuity problem A full-time job has continuity built in. You are there every day. You remember yesterday's conversation and this week's plan. A side project runs in fragments: - Tuesday night: 2 hours; - Thursday morning: 1 hour before work; - Saturday: 4 hours, with luck; - Sunday: maybe 2 more hours. Every session starts cold. You forgot the current task, the client's last comment, and which design version you used. An AI assistant does not help, because it starts cold too. ChatGPT does not carry Saturday's conversation into Tuesday unless its memory happens to keep the right detail. Claude does not know that you return to a half-finished project. Suppose each session loses 30 minutes to recall. At five sessions and 10 hours a week, 2.5 of those hours go to remembering. ## Why a general assistant stalls your momentum With limited time, you cannot afford to re-explain. That is exactly what happens: - Tuesday: "I'm building a Shopify store for handmade candles. The client wants earthy tones and a minimal layout." - Saturday: "I'm working on a Shopify store. The client wants... wait, let me find the email." - Next Tuesday: "I'm building a store. Hold on, let me paste the style guide again." You re-onboard the assistant every session instead of making progress. A Custom GPT helps with instructions and files, and it works on the ChatGPT mobile app too. It still lives only inside ChatGPT. If you use Claude for writing and ChatGPT for code, you keep two sets of context, and neither knows what the other knows. [How to keep context across AI tools](/articles/persistent-context-across-ai-tools) covers that problem in detail. ## How three files give you continuity Keep a folder for the project with a root `CLAUDE.md` that names three files: project status, client preferences, and a session log. Claude Code reads the root file at the start of every session in that folder and opens the others when you ask. The files are plain Markdown, so any editor opens them. The model runs on the provider's servers, so the text Claude reads goes to the provider during a session. ### Project status ```markdown ## Candle shop (client: small candle brand) status:: in progress (started 2026-01-15; launch target 2026-02-28) platform:: Shopify phase:: product pages (homepage done; 6 products left) ### Done - [x] Homepage layout (earthy tones, minimal, hero image approved) - [x] About page (client bio, story, mission) - [x] Product photos uploaded (12 candles, 3 photos each) - [x] First 6 products added (Lavender, Eucalyptus, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Rose, Sandalwood) ### Next - [ ] Add 6 products (Cedar, Jasmine, Peppermint, Lemon, Sage, Amber) - [ ] Write descriptions (template: /templates/product-description.md) - [ ] Set up checkout (client wants Stripe, not Shopify Payments) - [ ] Add shipping rates (one flat US rate, one higher international rate; amounts in the client brief) - [ ] Test mobile layout (client saw desktop only) ### Blocked - Ingredient lists for the last 6 products. Emailed 2026-01-24. Follow up if nothing arrives by 2026-01-29. ``` Tuesday night, you ask Claude what to work on. It reads the file and answers. You are still waiting on ingredient lists, so write descriptions for the first six products from the template, or set up Stripe checkout. You start work at once. ### Client preferences ```markdown ## Client preferences contact:: CLIENT-EMAIL (in your contacts, not here) availability:: evenings after 7 p.m. Eastern, weekends ### Voice - Warm, personal, story-first - "Aromatherapy benefits", never "therapeutic properties" - First person for the founder's story; second person for customers - Conversational; contractions allowed ### Design - Colors: sage green #9CAF88, cream #F5F1E8, terracotta #C97064 - Minimal layouts, generous white space - Quiet CTAs: "Shop Now", never "Buy Now" - Serif headings, sans-serif body ### Dislikes - Stock photos (use only her product photos) - Pop-ups and email capture modals - Urgency tactics ("Only 2 left", countdown timers) - Corporate words: "solutions", "innovative", "premium" ### Recent feedback - 2026-01-22: loved the homepage hero; same style for product pages - 2026-01-20: soften CTA buttons (less contrast, blend with design) ``` Saturday morning, you ask for a description of the Lavender candle. Claude reads the preferences and writes: "This lavender candle fills your space with calm. Hand-poured with soy wax and pure lavender oil, it helps you wind down after a long day. Light it, breathe deep, relax." It avoids "therapeutic properties" and "premium," because the file bans them. [AI memory for freelancers](/articles/ai-memory-for-freelancers) shows how to keep several clients' preference files apart. ### Session log ```markdown ## Session log ### 2026-01-26 (Saturday, 3 hours) - Finished homepage layout; client approved by email - Added 6 products to Shopify - Ran out of time on product descriptions ### 2026-01-23 (Tuesday, 2 hours) - Uploaded all product photos to the Shopify media library - Organized by product (front, lit, lifestyle) - Chose the homepage hero: Lavender candle on a bedside table ### 2026-01-20 (Saturday, 4 hours) - Built the About page from the client's bio and mission - Client asked for softer CTA buttons; changed green to terracotta - Revised and approved ### Next session plan - Descriptions for the first 6 products (template; warm and personal) - If ingredient lists arrive, add the last 6 products - If time remains, start checkout setup ``` Tuesday night, you ask what you did last session. Claude answers: on Saturday you finished the homepage and added six products, and descriptions ran out of time. Next, write descriptions from the template, or start checkout for a change of pace. You are back in context in seconds. At the end of each session, ask Claude to add an entry to the log with what you finished. Read the entry before you close the laptop. ## Four side projects that use the pattern **A freelance designer on nights and weekends.** The day job runs nine to five. The folder holds client folders with brand guides, project checklists, and session logs. On Tuesday night the designer asks what is due this week and gets the list, then asks for the next task for one client. The designer needs no separate project management app. **A content creator in the early morning.** Writing time runs from 5:30 to 7:00 a.m. The folder holds the content calendar, draft ideas, and engagement data. Each morning the creator asks for today's topic and gets the topic and outline, without a check of the calendar. **A vintage furniture seller on Etsy.** Sourcing happens on weekends, listings at lunch, and shipping in the evening. The folder holds the inventory list, price rules, comparable sold items, and shipping notes. The seller finds a chair at an estate sale on Saturday and asks what it is worth. Claude checks the comparable sales in the folder and suggests a price. On Tuesday at lunch, the seller asks what needs a listing and writes one in 20 minutes. **A course creator on an uneven schedule.** Work happens when life allows, some weeks daily and some weeks once. The folder holds the course outline, recorded lessons, and a to-do list. After a week off, the creator asks where they left off. Claude answers: Module 3, Lesson 2 is recorded, so edit it or record Lesson 3. ## Before and after the three files Before: Tuesday night, you open Notion, email, and Google Drive to piece together what you did. You remember half and guess the rest. You work, then forget to note what you did. Saturday morning, the cycle repeats. Across both sessions, about 90 minutes go to recall. After: Tuesday night, you ask Claude what to work on, and it reads the project file. You work. Before you close the laptop, you ask Claude to log the session. Saturday morning, you ask what you did last time, and Claude tells you. The fragmented schedule stays the same, and more of it goes to progress. ## Why continuity matters for a side project A side project depends on momentum. Time is short. If recall eats the time, progress stalls. If progress stalls, motivation drops, and many side projects end there. The three files keep momentum. Each session ends with a written record and starts with a written next step. Markdown files open fast, with no app login and no dashboard to load. [Plain-text memory](/articles/plain-text-ai-memory) explains why that format lasts. Update the files as you work. Mark each task done when you finish it, log feedback when it arrives, and add a log entry at the end of each session. After three months, you have a complete project history, and every session still starts with context in place. ## Set up the files in one afternoon 1. Create a project folder with a root `CLAUDE.md` that names the three files. 2. Write the status file: done, next, and blocked. 3. Write the client preference file: voice, design, dislikes, and recent feedback. 4. Start the session log with today's entry. 5. Next session, ask Claude where you left off, and check the answer against the log. The files cost nothing to keep. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan. ## Approval and stopping boundary The assistant suggests next tasks, drafts copy, and writes session log entries. You approve every client-facing draft and every change to the client's store. The assistant does not publish products, change store settings, or email the client. 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