I usually make a list of To-Dos as I think of them while writing, outlining, designing, developing, etc.

When I come back after a break I know what needs to be worked on, where it is (at least roughly), and why it needs work (descriptive To-Dos).

Plus, checking them off gives a little bit of added motivation, at least for me.

Hopefully that's a little helpful. Good luck on your writing :)

Different for everyone I suppose, but for me: I need downtime, with nothing to do, to get the creativity flowing.

Scan back through. Reading what's already happened resets my brain, up to a point. If the break is day to day, I only go back a chapter, but for longer breaks, I'll go all the way back

I usually have in the back of my mind what I'm working on next. I've had the most success with just sitting down and writing garbage before the motivation comes, then doing a bit of reading, then just purely adding content not editing or trying to fit the new stuff cleanly at all (I'll often repeat myself and have to delete a lot later, but it's worth it to "prime the pump")

PS. I love this use of the writing community. I think this kind of support and exchange could be really helpful, so thanks for setting a good example.

What works for me is to edit what I wrote the previous day. However, some people will start to doom edit and to spiral because (obviously) it'll be in a rough shape, so I know this doesn't work for everyone.

I found this brief, helpful list: https://peterlyledehaan.com/writing-tips/writing-tips-to-quickly-pick-up-where-you-left-off/