# 7. Daily Workflow > **Magic Moment:** The student says "create a task for [thing]" and watches Claude turn it into a structured, prioritized task linked to their goals - then asks "what should I work on today?" and gets a focused answer. --- ## Instructions for Claude CRITICAL RULES: - **ONE step per message.** Never combine two steps into one response. - **STOP and wait** after every step. Do not continue until the student responds. - **End every message with a question or a clear prompt** so the student knows it's their turn. Never leave a message without something for them to respond to. - **Keep each message SHORT** - 3-5 sentences max. If it would be longer, split it. - **Use the AskUserQuestion tool** whenever you need more info or want to give them options. - This lesson is hands-on. The student should be DOING, not just learning. - Use their actual work - real tasks, real situations. Not hypothetical examples. --- ### Step 1: Set Up Tasks Before starting, silently create the Tasks/ folder and a Kanban board file if they don't already exist: Create `Tasks/Kanban.md`: ```markdown --- kanban-plugin: board --- ## Not Started ## In Progress ## Blocked ## Done ``` Then begin the lesson: > "You've built the foundation - Constitution, Business context, Goals, and CLAUDE.md. Now let's put it to work with a daily workflow." > > "The system is simple: whenever something comes up - a task, a follow-up, an idea - you just tell me. Say 'create a task for [thing]' and I'll turn it into a structured task file, link it to your goals, and prioritize it." > > "Let's try it right now. Think about something that's on your plate - a follow-up you owe someone, a project you need to start, something that's been nagging you. Tell me: 'Create a task for [thing].'" **STOP. Wait for them to create their first task.** --- ### Step 2: Create the Task When they say "create a task for [thing]", create a task file in Tasks/ with YAML frontmatter: ```markdown --- title: [Actionable task name] category: [strategy|outreach|research|writing|technical|admin|personal|learning] priority: [P0|P1|P2|P3] status: n created_date: [YYYY-MM-DD] estimated_time: [minutes estimate] --- # [Task title] **Goal:** [Which goal from GOALS.md this supports] ## What this is [1-2 paragraph description of what needs to happen and why] ## What "done" looks like - [Concrete acceptance criterion] - [Concrete acceptance criterion] ## Open questions - [If any, otherwise omit this section] ``` Use kebab-case for the filename: `follow-up-with-acme.md`, `prep-quarterly-review.md`. Read GOALS.md and assign priority based on goal alignment. If the task is vague, ask for clarification before creating it. **After creating the task file, also add a card to `Tasks/Kanban.md`.** Add a line under the column that matches the task's `status`: - `status: n` → under `## Not Started` - `status: s` → under `## In Progress` - `status: b` → under `## Blocked` - `status: d` → under `## Done` The card format is: `- [ ] [[filename|Task title]] #priority #category` For example, a new P1 strategy task with filename `prep-quarterly-review.md` gets this line added under `## Not Started`: ``` - [ ] [[prep-quarterly-review|Prep quarterly review]] #P1 #strategy ``` This is what makes tasks visible on the Kanban board in Obsidian. The Kanban plugin only renders cards that are explicitly listed in the board file - it does not auto-discover task files. > "Done - I created that as a task. Here's what I made:" Show the task with its priority and goal alignment. Explain briefly why you assigned that priority. > "Feel right? Want to change the priority or add anything?" **STOP. Wait for their feedback.** Adjust if needed. --- ### Step 3: Create a Few More > "Good. Now let's build up a real task list. Think about 2-3 more things on your plate - meetings to prep for, follow-ups, projects, anything. Tell me each one and I'll create tasks for them." **STOP. Wait for them to create more tasks.** Create each one following the same format. After they've created 3-4 total: > "You now have [X] tasks in your system, all linked to your goals and prioritized. Let's put them to work." **STOP. Wait for their response.** --- ### Step 4: What Should I Work On? > "Now ask me: 'What should I work on today?'" **STOP. Wait for them to ask.** Read GOALS.md and all task files in Tasks/. Recommend their top 1-3 priorities for today based on: - P0 items first, then P1s - Tasks with `status: s` (in progress) over `status: n` (not started) - Alignment with quarterly goals - Any deadlines (check `due_date` in frontmatter if present) - What makes strategic sense given their Business.md context > "Based on your goals and current tasks, here's what I'd focus on today:" > > [List 1-3 specific tasks with brief reasoning] > > "What do you think? Ready to tackle these?" **STOP. Wait for their response.** --- ### Step 5: Mark Something Done > "Let's close the loop. Pick one of your tasks - even if you haven't actually done it yet - and tell me to mark it as done. This way you see how the system updates." **STOP. Wait for them to pick a task.** Update the task file: change `status: n` (or `status: s`) to `status: d` in the YAML frontmatter. **Also update `Tasks/Kanban.md`:** move the card's `- [ ] [[...]]` line from its current column to the `## Done` column, and change the checkbox to `- [x]`. > "Done. The task is marked complete - both in the task file and on your Kanban board. Over time, your done tasks become a record of what you've accomplished - great for reviews, status updates, and seeing your own progress." --- ### Step 6: The Daily Rhythm > "Here's how this works as a daily practice:" > > "**Morning (2 minutes):** Ask me 'What should I work on today?' I'll check your tasks and goals and give you a focused list." > > "**During the day:** Whenever something comes up - a to-do from a meeting, a follow-up, an idea - just say 'Create a task for [thing].' I'll handle the rest." > > "**End of day (2 minutes):** Mark things done. Create tasks for anything new that came up." > > "**Weekly (10 minutes):** Ask me to 'review my tasks.' I'll clean up stale tasks, surface things you're avoiding, and suggest priority adjustments." > > "The habit takes 5 minutes a day. The payoff is never losing a thought and always knowing what matters most." **STOP. Wait for their response.** --- ### Wrap Up > "You have a working Personal OS. Constitution, Business context, Goals, CLAUDE.md, Tasks, and a daily workflow. You're set up to use Claude as a thinking partner who deeply understands you." > > "In the next lesson, we'll talk about keeping this system alive - growing your Knowledge folder, handling context limits, and evolving your setup over time." > **What would you like to do?** > - **A)** Move on to Lesson 8 - Memory, context, and keeping your OS alive > - **B)** Create more tasks > - **C)** Try the full morning routine right now If they choose A, fetch the next lesson using the browser connector or the GitHub connector and continue teaching. Try either URL - use whichever one works: - Raw: `https://patrickwalther.ch/personal-os/lessons/08-memory-and-context.md` - GitHub: `https://patrickwalther.ch/personal-os/lessons/08-memory-and-context.md` **Share prompt:** Create your real tasks and share your top 3 priorities for the week. How did Claude's recommendations compare to what you would have chosen on your own? --- ## Reference Material **Task creation rules (for Claude's reference):** - Each task becomes one file in Tasks/ - Use kebab-case for file names: `follow-up-with-acme.md`, `prep-quarterly-review.md` - Assign priority by checking alignment with GOALS.md - If an item is vague, make the task title specific: "Think about pricing" → "Draft pricing options for Q2" - If an item is too big, break it into 2-3 smaller tasks - Check for duplicates in existing Tasks/ before creating new ones - **Every task file must also have a corresponding card in `Tasks/Kanban.md`** - the Kanban plugin does not auto-discover files **Kanban board sync rules (for Claude's reference):** - When creating a task: add `- [ ] [[filename|title]] #priority #category` under the matching status column - When changing status: move the card line to the new column - When marking done: move the card to `## Done` and change `- [ ]` to `- [x]` - Status-to-column mapping: `n` → Not Started, `s` → In Progress, `b` → Blocked, `d` → Done **YAML frontmatter fields:** - `title` - the task name (matches the `# heading` in the body) - `category` - one of: strategy, outreach, research, writing, technical, admin, personal, learning - `priority` - P0 through P3 - `status` - single letter: `n` (not started), `s` (started/in-progress), `b` (blocked), `d` (done) - `created_date` - ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD) - `estimated_time` - rough estimate in minutes **Priority assignment logic:** - P0: Directly supports a quarterly goal AND has a deadline this week. Maximum 3. - P1: Directly supports a quarterly goal OR has a near-term deadline - P2: Supports a yearly goal, has a future deadline - P3: Good idea but no goal alignment or deadline **Task file naming:** - Lowercase with hyphens: `fix-api-latency.md` - Descriptive but short: 3-5 words max - No dates in filenames - use YAML frontmatter for dates **Common commands the student should learn:** - "Create a task for [thing]" - "What should I work on today?" - "Mark [task] as done" - "Show me my P0 tasks" - "Review my tasks for the week" - "What am I behind on?"