# Common Workflows

Practical workflows for using your AI-powered markdown journal.

## Daily Workflows

### Morning Startup Routine

**1. Open your journal**
- Navigate to `daily/` folder
- Create today's note: `YYYY-MM-DD.md` (copy from template)

**2. Start AI coach** (optional)
```
You: "get the time and let's start the day"

AI: [Greets you, asks about sleep, energy, and priorities]
```

**3. Fill in morning sections**
- Energy level (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
- Sleep quality
- Mindset and intention
- Today's top 3 priorities
- Time blocks

**4. Review yesterday** (if relevant)
- Quick scan of yesterday's note
- Any carry-over items?
- Learnings to apply today?

**Time investment:** 5-10 minutes

---

### Throughout the Day Check-Ins

**Quick Progress Notes**
```markdown
## 📝 Throughout the Day

10:30 AM - Finished proposal draft! Feeling good about it.

2:00 PM - Energy dip. Taking a walk before next meeting.

4:00 PM - Great feedback from team on proposal.
```

**With AI Coach** (optional)
```
You: "Just finished the proposal draft!"

AI: "That's awesome! How does it feel? What's next?"
```

**Time investment:** 1-2 minutes per check-in

---

### Evening Reflection Routine

**1. Review your day**
- What got done?
- What didn't? (and why?)
- Energy patterns observed

**2. Capture learnings**
- What did I learn today?
- What would I do differently?
- What am I grateful for?

**3. Set tomorrow's priority**
- What's the ONE thing that matters most tomorrow?

**4. Update with AI coach** (optional)
```
You: "update my daily note with today's progress"

AI: [Reviews with you, helps capture insights]
```

**Time investment:** 5-10 minutes

---

## Weekly Workflows

### Sunday/Monday Weekly Planning

**1. Review last week**
- Scan daily notes from previous week
- What patterns do you notice?
- What worked well? What didn't?

**2. Check on projects**
- Review active projects
- What progress was made?
- What's blocked or stuck?

**3. Review areas**
- Quick check-in on 2-3 priority areas
- Are you maintaining standards?
- What needs attention?

**4. Plan this week**
- What are the big rocks for this week?
- Which projects get focus time?
- What meetings/commitments exist?

**5. With AI coach** (optional)
```
You: "Let's do my weekly review"

AI: [Guides you through reflection and planning]
```

**Time investment:** 20-30 minutes

---

### Mid-Week Check-In (Wednesday)

**Quick pulse check:**
- Am I on track with this week's priorities?
- What's working? What's not?
- Do I need to adjust plans?
- Any obstacles to address?

**Time investment:** 5-10 minutes

---

## Monthly Workflows

### Monthly Review & Planning

**1. Review the month**
- Scan through daily notes
- Review completed projects
- Check progress on areas
- Identify patterns and themes

**2. Areas deep-dive**
- Review all active areas
- Are you meeting standards?
- What needs more attention?
- What's going well?

**3. Projects assessment**
- What got completed?
- What's on track?
- What's stuck? Why?
- Any projects to start/pause/archive?

**4. Update goals**
- Are current goals still relevant?
- Any new goals to add?
- What's working in your approach?

**5. Archive completed items**
- Move finished projects to archive
- Celebrate completions
- Extract learnings

**Time investment:** 45-60 minutes

---

## Project Workflows

### Starting a New Project

**1. Create project note**
- Copy `system/project-template.md`
- Rename: `projects/my-project.md`

**2. Define the project**
- What's the outcome?
- Why does it matter?
- When is it due?

**3. Break it down**
- Phases or milestones
- Key tasks
- Dependencies

**4. Link from areas**
- Which area does this project support?
- Link in the relevant area note

**5. First daily mention**
- Reference in today's daily note
- Block time to work on it

---

### Weekly Project Check-In

**For each active project:**
1. What progress was made?
2. What's the next step?
3. Any obstacles?
4. On track for deadline?

**Update project note:**
- Add progress log entry
- Update task checkboxes
- Adjust timeline if needed

---

### Completing a Project

**1. Mark complete**
- Add completion date
- Check off all tasks

**2. Project retrospective**
```markdown
## Reflection

### What Went Well
- [List successes]

### What Could Be Improved
- [List lessons]

### Key Learnings
- [What you'll apply next time]
```

**3. Archive**
- Move to `archive/projects/YYYY/`
- Link from area if relevant

**4. Celebrate!**
- Add to wins in daily note
- Share with AI coach
- Take a moment to acknowledge

---

## Habit Tracking Workflows

### Daily Habit Check

**In daily note:**
```markdown
## 📊 Daily Metrics

### Habits
- [x] Morning routine
- [x] Exercise
- [ ] Reading (missed today)
- [x] Healthy eating
```

**With external tools:**
- Beeminder: Log completion
- Streaks app: Check off
- Apple Shortcuts: Automate

---

### Weekly Habit Review

**Sunday review:**
1. How many days did you complete each habit?
2. What patterns do you notice?
3. What got in the way?
4. Any adjustments needed?

**With AI coach:**
```
You: "Let's review my habits this week"

AI: [Analyzes patterns, asks about obstacles, celebrates consistency]
```

---

## Relationship Management Workflows

### Before 1-on-1 Meeting

**10 minutes before meeting:**
1. Open their people note: `people/person-name.md`
2. Review last conversation
3. Check pending action items
4. Prepare topics to discuss

**With AI coach:**
```
You: "I have a 1-on-1 with [person] in 10 minutes"

AI: [Helps you prepare based on their note]
```

---

### After 1-on-1 Meeting

**Within 1 hour of meeting:**
1. Open their people note
2. Add conversation log entry
3. Note action items (yours and theirs)
4. Schedule follow-up if needed

**With AI coach:**
```
You: "Update [[person-name]] note with today's conversation"

AI: [Helps you capture key points and action items]
```

---

## Learning & Growth Workflows

### Capturing Learning Resources

**When you find something valuable:**
1. Create resource note in `resources/`
2. Capture key takeaways
3. Note how to apply it
4. Link from relevant areas/projects

**Template:**
```markdown
# Resource: [Title]

**Source:** [Link]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD

## Key Takeaways
- Main point 1
- Main point 2
- Main point 3

## How to Apply
[Practical application]

## Related
- [[Related project]]
- [[Related area]]
```

---

### Book Notes Workflow

**While reading:**
1. Create note: `resources/book-[title].md`
2. Add chapter summaries or highlights as you go
3. Note key quotes and insights

**After finishing:**
1. Write overall summary
2. List 3-5 key takeaways
3. Define 1-3 actions to take
4. Link from relevant areas

**With AI coach:**
```
You: "I just finished reading [book]. Want to help me process it?"

AI: [Asks reflective questions, helps extract insights]
```

---

## Crisis/Overwhelm Workflows

### When You're Overwhelmed

**1. Brain dump**
- Open today's daily note
- Write everything swirling in your head
- Don't organize, just get it out

**2. With AI coach**
```
You: "I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now"

AI: [Helps you process, identify priorities, break things down]
```

**3. Identify the ONE thing**
- What's the single most important thing?
- What's the smallest first step?
- Do just that

**4. Release the rest**
- Everything else can wait
- Focus on the one thing
- Breathe

---

### When You've Fallen Off Track

**1. No judgment**
- It's okay. Everyone falls off sometimes.
- You're here now. That's what matters.

**2. Don't try to catch up**
- Don't backfill all the daily notes
- Start fresh with today
- Look forward, not backward

**3. Quick reset**
```
You: "get the date - it's been 2 weeks"

AI: "Welcome back! No judgment. What's been happening?
     Want to catch up or just start fresh today?"
```

**4. One small step**
- Just do today's morning planning
- That's enough to restart momentum

---

## Automation Workflows (Optional)

### Apple Shortcuts Examples

**Morning trigger:**
- Open journal app
- Create today's daily note from template
- Trigger AI coach start phrase

**Habit logging:**
- Quick shortcuts to log common habits
- Auto-update Beeminder
- Send to AI coach

**Evening review:**
- Reminder at set time
- Open today's daily note
- Prompt for reflection

### Time Tracking Integration

**Automatic analysis:**
- Rize tracks time automatically
- AI coach analyzes patterns
- Identifies focus time, distractions
- Provides insights in daily check-in

**Manual tracking:**
- Pomodoro technique
- Log focus sessions in daily note
- Review productivity patterns weekly

---

## Tips for Success

### Start Simple
- Don't try all workflows at once
- Master daily routine first
- Add weekly/monthly gradually
- Customize as you go

### Be Consistent, Not Perfect
- Missing a day is fine
- Brief notes better than no notes
- Progress over perfection
- Build the habit slowly

### Review and Iterate
- Weekly: What's working?
- Monthly: What to adjust?
- Quarterly: Big picture reflection
- Continuously evolve the system

---

**Remember:** These are starting points, not prescriptions. Adapt any workflow to fit your life, schedule, and preferences. The best system is the one you actually use.

