main
..
tools/
workflows/
Advanced.md
rw-r--r--
22.4 KB
README.md
rw-r--r--
7.9 KB
SKILL.md
rw-r--r--
14.9 KB

TODO Management Skill

Comprehensive TODO management for org-mode files.

Quick Reference

Files

  • Main: ~/desktop/org/todos.org - Organized TODO list
  • Inbox: ~/desktop/org/inbox.org - Quick capture

Sections in todos.org

  1. Work - Job-related tasks
  2. Projects - Multi-step initiatives
  3. Systems - Homelab/infrastructure
  4. Personal - Life admin
  5. Routines - Recurring events
  6. Appointments - Scheduled appointments
  7. Health - Health tracking

States

  • TODO - Not started
  • NEXT - Next action
  • STRT - In progress
  • WAIT - Blocked/waiting
  • DONE - Completed
  • CANX - Cancelled

Priorities

  • [#1] - Highest/most important
  • [#2] - High
  • [#3] - Medium
  • [#4] - Low
  • [#5] - Lowest

Workflows

Add Workflow

Create new TODOs in inbox or directly to sections.

Quick patterns:

  • Inbox capture: echo "* TODO description" >> ~/desktop/org/inbox.org
  • Direct add: Insert to appropriate section with proper formatting
  • Projects: Create with subtasks and progress tracking
  • Recurring: Set up repeating schedules

View Workflow

Display and filter TODOs for planning.

Common views:

  • Active tasks (NEXT, STRT)
  • Scheduled for today
  • Upcoming deadlines
  • By priority level
  • By section (Work, Systems, etc.)
  • What to work on now

Update Workflow

Modify existing TODOs: state, priority, scheduling.

Common updates:

  • Mark as DONE with timestamp
  • Reschedule to new date
  • Change priority
  • Add progress notes
  • Mark as WAIT with reason
  • Cancel with explanation

Refile Workflow

Move TODOs from inbox to proper sections or reorganize between sections.

Key operations:

  • Process inbox items
  • Enhance with properties and context
  • Move between sections as priorities change
  • Batch process similar items

Archive Workflow

Move completed and cancelled items to archive files.

Maintenance:

  • Weekly archiving of DONE items
  • Keep archive structure
  • Search archived items
  • Extract learnings from history

Review Workflow

Regular review processes to maintain system health.

Review cadence:

  • Daily: Morning planning (5 min) and evening review (5 min)
  • Weekly: Comprehensive review and planning (20-30 min)
  • Monthly: Big picture review and cleanup (45-60 min)

Project Workflow

Manage multi-step projects with subtasks and progress tracking.

Project features:

  • Break down into 3-7 subtasks
  • Track progress [n/m]
  • Sequential or parallel tasks
  • Nested projects for large initiatives

Recurring Workflow

Set up and manage repeating tasks, habits, and meetings.

Recurring types:

  • Fixed schedule meetings (+1w)
  • Flexible habits (++1d)
  • Skippable tasks (.+1w)
  • Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly patterns

Suggested Daily Workflows

Morning Planning (5 minutes)

  1. Check inbox - refile items
  2. View scheduled for today
  3. Check upcoming deadlines
  4. Pick 2-3 NEXT actions
  5. Mark one as STRT to begin
# What's on tap today?
today=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")
echo "=== Today's Schedule ==="
grep -B2 "SCHEDULED: <$today" ~/desktop/org/todos.org | grep "^\*\*"

echo -e "\n=== In Progress ==="
grep "^\*\* STRT" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

echo -e "\n=== Next Actions ==="
grep "^\*\* NEXT" ~/desktop/org/todos.org | head -5

End of Day Review (5 minutes)

  1. Mark completed items as DONE
  2. Add notes to in-progress items
  3. Quick inbox check
  4. Plan tomorrow’s NEXT

Weekly Review (20 minutes)

  1. Archive all DONE/CANX items
  2. Review all NEXT - still relevant?
  3. Check stale TODOs - reschedule or cancel
  4. Plan next week’s priorities
  5. Update project progress

Quick Commands

View Active Work

# What am I working on?
grep "^\*\* STRT" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

# What's next?
grep "^\*\* NEXT" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

Quick Add to Inbox

# Capture quickly
echo "* TODO Review PR #123" >> ~/desktop/org/inbox.org

Today’s Schedule

today=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")
grep -B2 "SCHEDULED: <$today" ~/desktop/org/todos.org | grep "^\*\*"

High Priority Items

grep "^\*\* \(TODO\|NEXT\) \[#[12]\]" ~/desktop/org/todos.org

Work Section Overview

sed -n '/^\* Work/,/^\* [A-Z]/p' ~/desktop/org/todos.org | \
  grep "^\*\* \(NEXT\|STRT\|TODO\)"

Best Practices

Capture

✅ Add to inbox immediately when thought occurs ✅ Don’t worry about perfect formatting ✅ Refile during daily/weekly review ✅ Include links/context while fresh

Organization

✅ Keep NEXT to 3-5 items maximum ✅ Use STRT for only current work ✅ Break large tasks into projects with subtasks ✅ Link related notes and resources

Scheduling

✅ SCHEDULED = when to start ✅ DEADLINE = when it must be done ✅ Don’t over-schedule ✅ Be realistic with dates

Maintenance

✅ Archive completed items weekly ✅ Review and cancel stale TODOs ✅ Keep sections organized ✅ Update progress on projects

Integration Examples

With Git

# After commit, create follow-up
last_commit=$(git log -1 --oneline)
echo "* TODO Test changes from $last_commit" >> ~/desktop/org/inbox.org

With Code

Reference specific code locations:

** TODO Refactor authentication
See: [[file:~/src/project/src/auth/login.ts::42][login.ts:42]]

Tips

  1. Inbox is your friend: Capture everything there first
  2. Review regularly: Daily for schedule, weekly for backlog
  3. Be honest: Cancel TODOs you’ll never do
  4. Link liberally: Context helps future you
  5. Keep it simple: Don’t overthink the system
  6. Trust the process: Let the system work for you
  7. Focus on NEXT: That’s what matters today
  8. Archive often: Keep main view clean

Common Questions

Q: Too many TODOs? A: Focus on NEXT items only. Archive or cancel the rest.

Q: How many NEXT items? A: 3-5 maximum. More means nothing is truly “next”.

Q: When to use STRT vs NEXT? A: STRT = actively working right now. NEXT = ready to start.

Q: Inbox vs direct add? A: Default to inbox. Direct add when you know exactly where it goes.

Q: How often to review? A: Daily: 5 min for schedule. Weekly: 20 min for full review.

Q: What about someday/maybe? A: Use low priority [#5] or keep in separate file. Archive if not doing in 6 months.

File Structure Example

#+title: TODOs

* Work
:PROPERTIES:
:ARCHIVE:  archive/work::
:CATEGORY: work
:END:

** NEXT [#2] Review upstream PR
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri>

** STRT Weekly 1:1 meeting
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-04 Thu 10:00 ++1w>

** TODO [#3] Update documentation
DEADLINE: <2025-12-10 Wed>

* Projects
:PROPERTIES:
:ARCHIVE:  archive/projects::
:END:

** TODO Keyboard improvements [1/3]

*** DONE Leader key implementation
CLOSED: [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]

*** TODO Nav/media layer standardization
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-06 Sat>

*** TODO Symbol combos

* Systems
:PROPERTIES:
:ARCHIVE:  archive/systems::
:CATEGORY: systems
:END:

** TODO [#3] Setup MQTT on rhea
:PROPERTIES:
:CREATED:       [2025-12-04 Thu 15:30]
:END:

* Personal
:PROPERTIES:
:ARCHIVE:  archive/personal::
:CATEGORY: personal
:END:

** TODO Schedule dentist appointment
DEADLINE: <2025-12-15 Mon>

Getting Started

  1. Familiarize with structure: Read todos.org, understand sections
  2. Start with inbox: Capture a few TODOs
  3. Practice viewing: Try different grep patterns
  4. Daily routine: Morning planning, end of day review
  5. Weekly review: Archive, cancel, plan ahead
  6. Iterate: Adjust as you learn what works

Next Steps

  • Explore Add Workflow for creating TODOs
  • Learn View Workflow for finding what to work on
  • Master Update Workflow for tracking progress
  • Set up your daily/weekly review routine
  • Integrate with your notes and code workflows