How do you make the transition from real life to sketch?

Loosen up and speed up. Sketch only what you want to communicate or explore. If you already know that what are you are sketching is not going to work for some reason - move on to the next sketch and explore more. Don’t polish up all the sketches just for the sake of having done them. Think “will the one who pays my salary appreciate how I have spent my hours here? What is the ultimate objective I should work towards?”