start-workday

# Start Workday (Tue-Fri morning, ~10 min) You are running the user's workday startup. Follow these steps in order, presenting findings conversationally. Present options — never mandates. The startup has four phases: **Ground** (capture current state), **Orient** (see everything), **Choose** (collaboratively select), **Commit** (write decisions). --- ## Phase 1: Ground (capture current state — no system data yet) ### Step 1: Daily note setup Read today's daily note. This command creates the note from the configured template if it doesn't already exist — do NOT call `obsidian create` for the daily note. ``` obsidian daily:read vault="{{VAULT_NAME}}" ``` Read yesterday's daily note for context (especially Reflection and Observations sections). --- ### Step 2: Morning check-in Guide through 3 prompts and write responses to `## Morning State` in today's daily note: - "How are you feeling right now?" - "What feels most alive for you right now?" - "What would make today feel good?" Update `energy` and `mood` frontmatter with natural-language values (e.g., "steady", "foggy", "optimistic"). These answers capture the user's current state. Use them as loose context for tone and suggestions later — they do NOT auto-drive Today's Options selection. --- ### Step 3: Calendar check Read today's events using `mcp__apple-events__calendar_events` (filter by today's date range). Summarize obligations and note open time blocks for deep work. Also read the next 60 days of calendar events (`startDate`: tomorrow, `endDate`: today + 60 days) and Apple Reminders (`mcp__apple-events__reminders_tasks`, incomplete with due dates). These feed the `## Upcoming` horizon overview in Step 9. Today's events inform action menu context but are NOT written to the daily note. --- ### Step 4: Day-specific routines Read `[[Day-Specific Routines]]`. Filter for today's day of the week + the `## Daily` section. Present applicable items. --- ## Phase 2: Orient (full system awareness — read-only, no decisions) ### Step 5: Inbox overview (counts only — NOT processing) Gather counts from all three inboxes: - **Drafts inbox**: `mcp__drafts__drafts_inbox` — count items - **Obsidian inbox**: `obsidian search query="path:Inbox/" vault="{{VAULT_NAME}}"` — count results - **Unread email**: `mcp__mail__get_emails` (unread, limit 1) — get unread count Report: "X Drafts, Y inbox notes, Z unread emails. Full processing happens during deep review." **Workbench**: Count files in `Workbench/` (`obsidian search query="path:Workbench/" vault="{{VAULT_NAME}}"`). Report: "X workbench items active" (add "Y ready to graduate" if any have `status: ready`). Information-only — no processing. Do NOT process inboxes here. --- ### Step 6: Full project landscape Read ALL active project notes (search by `categories: ["[[Projects]]"]` and `status: active`) + `[[Action Pool]]`. Check Apple Reminders for approaching deadlines. Present a high-level dashboard. For each active project: - Project name + area - Brief status snapshot (open action count, any waiting/blocked items) - Approaching deadlines or time-sensitive items - Last notable activity (from Completed section dates) Group by area (work first, then personal). Include Action Pool standalone items as their own section. **Carry-forward**: Read yesterday's daily note `## Today's Options` and note which items weren't completed (still `- [ ]`, not in `## Done Today`). Present carry-forward items inline with their parent projects rather than as a separate list. This is a read-only overview — no recommendations yet. End with: **"That's the full landscape. What stands out to you?"** --- ## Phase 3: Choose (collaborative — user drives) ### Step 7: Action menu Present a work-biased menu of suggested actions drawn from the landscape. Weight by enjoyable usefulness. Consider energy/calendar loosely. Highlight: - Critical/deadline items - Personal items the user tends to deprioritize - Friction patterns from prior reviews #### Stance awareness Watch for these patterns and respond concretely (grounded in `shadow-awareness` rule — Tier 1 only): - *Lots of planning, little execution* → "What's the very next physical action?" - *Grinding through tasks, ignoring meaningful work* → Surface something important and enjoyable - *Paralysis or "nothing matters"* → Offer one small, concrete, useful thing - *Refining options instead of choosing* → "These are good enough — which one first?" One observation max. If the user doesn't engage, drop it completely. Check off-switch criteria before surfacing (productive flow, low energy, already surfaced). Frame as a discussion menu, not a final list. End with something like: **"These are some options that stand out. What would you like on today's plate? Anything to add, drop, or swap?"** --- ### Step 8: Collaborative selection Wait for user input. The user picks, adjusts, discusses. Iterate as needed. This step is conversational — no vault writes happen here. Only proceed to Phase 4 once the user confirms their choices. --- ## Phase 4: Commit (write based on user's choices) ### Step 9: Write daily note dashboard + Intentions Write the daily-note dashboard per the shared write-spec in `.claude/shared/daily-startup-dashboard.md`, with these parameters: - **Today's Options** — groups Work / Personal / Quick; a work-biased menu of the items confirmed in Step 8, weighted by enjoyable usefulness. - **Upcoming** — all critical items (work + personal); sources are the Step 3 60-day calendar scan and milestones spotted in Step 6. - **Intentions** — the user's stated priorities and desired feel for the day. - **Inbox relevance pass** — include unread email (`mcp__mail__search` on chosen work topics). --- ### Step 10: Yesterday's observations + Summary + Commit If yesterday's daily note exists and doesn't already have an `## Observations` section, append one with 2-3 sentences noting patterns Claude detected — energy trends, friction signals, mood patterns, or anything noteworthy from yesterday's data. **Defense pattern tracking** (Tier 2 — appropriate in Observations): If yesterday's data shows a pattern from the `shadow-awareness` rule — repeated deferral of a specific action type, planning-heavy day with low completion, avoidance of a particular domain — note it using the Wise Feedback Structure (observation + capacity evidence). Cross-reference with prior Observations sections when the pattern spans multiple days. If a documented pattern *didn't* activate when expected (e.g., high-stakes day handled with ease), note the contradiction — this is highest-value data for the Defense Pattern Living Record. Present a brief summary: - Two-month horizon snapshot (written to `## Upcoming`) - Chosen actions by area (written to `## Today's Options`) - Any follow-ups or waiting items - Day-specific routine items (written to `## Routines`) Commit all vault changes.