Daily Workflows¶

Practical workflows and patterns for using the notes system throughout your day.

Morning Routine (5 minutes)¶

# 1. Open today's note (automatically carries over yesterday's incomplete tasks)
today

# 2. Review what was carried over and set primary focus
# Edit the "Primary Focus" section - choose ONE thing that matters most

Why this works: Starting with carried-over tasks removes the "where was I?" problem. Having a single primary focus reduces overwhelm.

During Work Hours¶

Starting Work or After a Break¶

# Quick context reminder without opening files
context

This shows: - Your primary focus for the day - Your active tasks - Current links and references

Why this works: Eliminates the "what was I doing?" moment after interruptions.

Quick Capture (When Something Comes Up)¶

# Add a note without opening editor
nquick "idea for improving the auth flow"

# For longer captures
inbox

Why this works: Capture thoughts immediately without losing focus. Process them later during a dedicated time.

When Switching Tasks¶

Check off completed task: Open with today, toggle with <leader>nx in Neovim
Run context to see what's next
Leave a breadcrumb: nquick "Paused at: writing tests for user auth"

Why this works: Creates breadcrumbs for yourself. When you return, you know exactly where you left off.

End of Day (5 minutes)¶

# 1. Review today
today

# 2. Check off completed tasks (mark [x])
# 3. Add anything to daily reflection
# 4. Remove tasks that are no longer relevant
# 5. Tomorrow's note will automatically carry over anything still incomplete

Important: Don't carry over tasks manually - it happens automatically when you run today tomorrow.

Weekly Review (15 minutes)¶

Sunday or Friday¶

# See the past week's work
nweek

# Review:
# - What patterns emerge?
# - What tasks keep getting carried over? (may need to break down or delegate)
# - What went well?

Common Workflows¶

Start a New Project¶

area my-new-project
# Fill in objective, next actions
# Link from today's note: [[areas/my-new-project]]

Research a Topic¶

wiki topic-name
# Take notes, add links
# Tag with #research or #learning

When Interrupted¶

nquick "Paused at: [what you were doing]"
# Handle interruption
context  # Resume work

Emergency: "Where was I?"¶

context   # Always start here
today     # See today's work
nrecent   # Check recent files

Processing Inbox¶

Do this daily or every few days:

# 1. Open inbox
inbox

# 2. For each item, decide:
#    - Add to today's tasks if actionable now
#    - Move to wiki/area if it's reference material
#    - Delete if no longer relevant

# 3. Clear processed items from inbox

Advanced Patterns¶

Time-Blocking in Daily Notes¶

## ✅ Today's Tasks
- [ ] 9:00-10:30 - Focus block: [[areas/auth-refactor]] tests
- [ ] 10:30-11:00 - Code review
- [ ] 14:00-16:00 - Focus block: [[areas/database-optimization]]

Energy Tracking¶

Use the daily reflection to track energy:

**Energy level:** 7/10
**What affected it:** Good sleep, morning walk

Over time, patterns emerge about when you're most productive.

Friday Brain Dump¶

Every Friday, run inbox and dump everything on your mind: - Things you want to learn - Projects you're thinking about - Ideas that keep popping up

Process during the weekend or Monday morning.

Project "Current State" Section¶

In area files, maintain a "Current State" section at the top:

## Current State
**Last worked on:** 2025-11-19
**Currently:** Writing integration tests for auth middleware
**Next up:** Add error handling tests
**Blocked by:** None

When you return to a project after days/weeks, this tells you exactly where you are.

Handling Specific Scenarios¶

Scenario: Multiple Urgent Things¶

Run context - stick with your primary focus
Add urgent items to today's tasks
Only switch if truly critical
Use nquick to capture other thoughts

Scenario: Task Keeps Getting Carried Over (3+ days)¶

If a task appears in 3+ daily notes:

Option 1: Break it down

# Instead of: "- [ ] Refactor authentication system"
# Try: "- [ ] Map out auth system components (30 min)"

Option 2: Move to an area

area auth-refactor
# Add specific next actions to the area file
# Pull individual actions into daily notes as needed

Option 3: Delete it If you haven't done it in a week, you probably don't need to.

Scenario: Overwhelmed by Carried Tasks¶

This means tasks are too big or too numerous:

Open today's note
Pick ONE task to keep for today
Move others to area files or delete
Simplify remaining task if needed

Scenario: Forgot to Check Notes¶

Make context automatic:

# Add to ~/.zprofile
cd() {
  builtin cd "$@" && [ -d ~/notes ] && context 2>/dev/null
}

Scenario: Too Many Wiki Pages, Can't Find Things¶

Use search, not memory: nfind <term>
Use tags: ntags <tag>
Trust backlinks: <leader>nb in Neovim
Clean up occasionally: move old stuff to archive/

Weekly Patterns¶

Monday Morning¶

today                    # Fresh week, carried over from Friday
# Set weekly primary focus
# Review areas: which projects need attention this week?

Friday Afternoon¶

today
# Complete reflection
# Brain dump to inbox
nweek                    # Review the week

Integration Tips¶

With Git¶

# At end of day or when significant work done
npush   # Pushes notes to remote

# When starting on new machine
npull   # Pulls latest notes

With Time Management¶

The system complements time-blocking:

Time-block in calendar
Add those blocks to today's tasks
Use context to see current block
Check off as you complete

With Project Management Tools¶

Use notes for personal context, external tools for team coordination:

Notes: Your internal state, what you're thinking, breadcrumbs
External tools: Team-visible tasks, deadlines, dependencies

Link between them: - [ ] Review PR #234 (see [[areas/auth-refactor]])

Remember¶

Write everything down: Your notes are your external memory
Use context often: Especially after breaks or interruptions
Trust the system: Tasks carry automatically, just mark them done
Primary Focus: One thing. Always.
Low friction: Commands are short by design. Use them constantly.

Print this and keep it visible until workflows become muscle memory.