auto-update-daily-20260202

Update TODO Workflow

Purpose

Modify existing TODO items: change state, update priority, reschedule, add notes.

When to Use

  • Mark task as done
  • Change priority
  • Reschedule task
  • Add progress notes
  • Update status
  • Move to waiting

Common Updates

1. Change State

Mark as DONE

** DONE Review upstream pull request
CLOSED: [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "DONE"       from "NEXT"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Mark as NEXT (from TODO)

** NEXT Setup MQTT broker on rhea
:LOGBOOK:
- State "NEXT"       from "TODO"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Mark as STRT (Started)

** STRT Keyboard firmware improvements
:LOGBOOK:
- State "STRT"       from "NEXT"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Mark as WAIT

** WAIT Fix authentication bug
:LOGBOOK:
- State "WAIT"       from "NEXT"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Waiting for security team review
:END:

Mark as CANX (Cancelled)

** CANX Migrate to new framework
CLOSED: [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "CANX"       from "TODO"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Decision to stay with current framework
:END:

2. Change Priority

Increase priority (lower number):

** TODO [#1] Fix critical authentication bug

Decrease priority (higher number):

** TODO [#4] Refactor old code

Remove priority:

** TODO Update documentation

3. Reschedule

Move to tomorrow:

** TODO Review pull request
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri>
:LOGBOOK:
- Rescheduled from "[2025-12-04 Thu]" on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Move to next week:

** TODO Prepare presentation
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-11 Thu>
:LOGBOOK:
- Rescheduled from "[2025-12-04 Thu]" on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Remove scheduling:

** TODO Review documentation
:LOGBOOK:
- Rescheduled from "[2025-12-04 Thu]" on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

4. Update Deadline

Set new deadline:

** TODO Submit report
DEADLINE: <2025-12-10 Wed>
:LOGBOOK:
- New deadline from "[2025-12-05 Fri]" on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Extend deadline:

** TODO Complete project
DEADLINE: <2025-12-15 Mon>
:LOGBOOK:
- New deadline from "[2025-12-10 Wed]" on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

5. Add Progress Notes

Add note to TODO:

** STRT Refactor authentication module
:LOGBOOK:
- Note taken on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Completed initial analysis, starting implementation
- Note taken on [2025-12-03 Wed 10:00] \\
  Reviewed current implementation
:END:

Add with context:

** TODO Deploy new configuration
:LOGBOOK:
- Note taken on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Blocked: waiting for staging environment
:END:

Update Patterns

Find and Update

  1. Locate the TODO

    # Search by description
grep -n "Review upstream" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

# Or by line number if known
# Result: 142:** TODO Review upstream pull request

  2. Read the Context

    # Show TODO with 5 lines of context
sed -n '142,152p' ~/desktop/org/todos.org

  3. Update Using Edit Tool

    • Find the exact TODO heading
    • Make the modification
    • Add LOGBOOK entry if state change
    • Update CLOSED timestamp if completing

State Transition Rules

Valid Transitions:

TODO → NEXT → STRT → DONE
TODO → WAIT → NEXT
TODO → CANX
NEXT → TODO (deprioritize)
NEXT → WAIT (blocked)
WAIT → NEXT (unblocked)

Always Log:

  • State changes
  • Rescheduling
  • Deadline changes
  • Significant notes

Examples

Example 1: Mark as Done

User: “Mark the authentication bug fix as done”

  1. Find the TODO:
grep -n "authentication bug" ~/desktop/org/todos.org
# Result: 245:** NEXT [#1] Fix authentication bug
  1. Update:
** DONE [#1] Fix authentication bug
CLOSED: [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "DONE"       from "NEXT"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Example 2: Reschedule to Tomorrow

User: “Move the PR review to tomorrow”

  1. Find TODO
  2. Update SCHEDULED:
** TODO [#2] Review upstream pull request
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri>
:LOGBOOK:
- Rescheduled from "[2025-12-04 Thu]" on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

Example 3: Increase Priority

User: “Make the documentation update high priority”

  1. Find TODO
  2. Update priority:
** TODO [#2] Update project documentation

Example 4: Mark as Waiting

User: “Mark MQTT setup as waiting for hardware”

  1. Find TODO
  2. Change state with reason:
** WAIT [#3] Setup MQTT broker on rhea
:LOGBOOK:
- State "WAIT"       from "NEXT"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Waiting for new Raspberry Pi to arrive
:END:

Example 5: Add Progress Note

User: “Add a note that I completed the initial research”

  1. Find TODO
  2. Add note to LOGBOOK:
** STRT Research alternative approaches
:LOGBOOK:
- Note taken on [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Completed initial research. Found three viable options.
  Next: prototype proof of concept
:END:

Example 6: Cancel TODO

User: “Cancel the framework migration task, we’re staying with current”

  1. Find TODO
  2. Mark as CANX with reason:
** CANX Migrate to new framework
CLOSED: [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "CANX"       from "TODO"       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30] \\
  Team decided to continue with current framework after evaluation
:END:

Batch Updates

Mark Multiple as DONE

When completing related tasks:

# List TODOs to update
grep -n "authentication" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

# Update each one individually with proper logging

Reschedule Multiple

When moving work to next week:

# Find all scheduled for this week
this_week=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")
grep -B2 "SCHEDULED: <$this_week" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

# Update each with new dates

Progress Tracking

Update Subtask Progress

When completing subtasks, update the progress counter:

Before:

** TODO Keyboard improvements [0/3]

*** TODO Leader keys
*** TODO Nav/media layers
*** TODO Symbol combos

After completing one:

** TODO Keyboard improvements [1/3]

*** DONE Leader keys
CLOSED: [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
*** TODO Nav/media layers
*** TODO Symbol combos

Update Recurring Tasks

For repeating tasks, mark done to advance:

Before:

** TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-01 Mon ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-11-24 Mon 10:00]
:END:

After marking done:

** TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-01 Mon 10:00]
:END:

Validation

Before updating, verify:

  • Correct TODO found
  • State transition makes sense
  • LOGBOOK entry added for state change
  • CLOSED timestamp if completing
  • Reason provided if cancelling/waiting
  • Rescheduling logged if changing dates

Tips

  1. Always log state changes: Future you will want to know when and why
  2. Add reasons for WAIT/CANX: Context helps decision-making
  3. Be specific with notes: “Initial research complete” > “Progress”
  4. Update subtask counters: Helps track project progress
  5. Reschedule honestly: Don’t keep pushing dates, maybe cancel instead
  6. Use NEXT sparingly: Only for truly next actions
  7. Complete fully: Mark DONE when actually done, not almost done
  8. Archive after: Move DONE items to archive regularly

Integration

After Git Commit

# Mark related TODO as done
echo "Completed fix for issue #123"
# Find and mark TODO as DONE

After Meeting

# Update meeting TODO, add notes
# Example: Add action items from meeting to LOGBOOK

After Testing

# Update TODO with test results
# Add note about what works/doesn't work

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don’t skip LOGBOOK: Always log state changes ❌ Don’t forget CLOSED: Add timestamp when marking DONE/CANX ❌ Don’t leave STRT: Either complete or move back to NEXT ❌ Don’t reschedule forever: Cancel if not getting to it ❌ Don’t use vague notes: Be specific about progress/blockers