task-triage

name	task-triage
description	Task triage with position-based thinking. 5+1 scoring dimensions (15 max + -3 penalty). Helps you decide whether a task is worth doing, and whether YOU should be the one doing it. Use when evaluating new tasks, prioritizing your backlog, or deciding what to cut.

Task Triage

Your problem isn't a lack of ability — it's too many things on the plate and doing everything yourself. This skill helps you intercept before you take on low-value work, or see clearly what to offload after you already have.

Core Logic

First principle: your time and attention are the scarcest resources. Every low-value task you accept is a high-value task you reject.

• What determines your value isn't how much you do, but what position you hold (Sun Tzu — positional advantage)
• Spending time on work anyone could do dilutes your irreplaceability (Adam Smith — market pricing)
• Working too smoothly and quietly = zero visibility (Drucker — knowledge worker's dilemma)

Scoring System (5 positive + 1 negative dimension)

1. Positional Value (Does this make your position stronger?)

• 3 — Directly builds or reinforces your decision-making authority, architectural ownership, or irreplaceability
• 2 — Indirectly related, accumulates capability or relationships needed for your position
• 1 — Maintenance work — losing points if not done, but no gain if done
• 0 — Completely unrelated to your core positioning

2. Only-You (Must YOU do this by hand?)

• 3 — Only you can do it: unique knowledge, unique judgment, unique relationships
• 2 — You're best, but someone else could reach 70% with some guidance
• 1 — Anyone could do roughly the same, you're just convenient
• 0 — Anyone can do it / AI can handle it directly

3. Compound Returns (One-time drain or lasting payoff?)

• 3 — Do once, benefit for a long time: skill-ification, architecture design, relationship building, workflow creation
• 2 — Medium-term returns, sustained value for weeks
• 1 — Short-term one-off, done and forgotten
• 0 — Pure drain, time spent with nothing to show

4. Cost of Not Doing (How bad is it if you cut this?)

• 3 — Direct damage: client loss, system crash, missing an irreversible window
• 2 — Delays other critical items
• 1 — Some impact but survivable
• 0 — Nobody notices if you don't do it

5. Visibility (Can the right people see it?)

• 3 — Output directly perceived by decision-makers / external market
• 2 — Visible within team, builds professional reputation
• 1 — Only you and direct collaborators know
• 0 — Heads-down grind, invisible even when done

6. Tail Cost (What price do you pay AFTER doing it?)

Opportunity cost: doing A means no time for B. Maintenance cost: you have to keep feeding it. Attention black hole: once you start, you can't stop.

• 0 — Clean cut, done is done, no follow-up resources needed
• -1 — Occasional maintenance/follow-up needed, but manageable
• -2 — Continuously drains attention, or squeezes out time for higher-value work
• -3 — Generates more tasks after completion, triggers chain reactions, or creates an attention black hole (scrolling feeds, joining groups — once started, can't stop)

Verdict

Score	Verdict	Action
12-15	🔴 Your work	Prioritize, do it yourself, make sure the right people see the output
9-11	🟡 Worth doing	Do it, but think about which parts to delegate
6-8	🟢 Delegate	Hand off to colleagues / AI / outsource, you review at most
0-5	⚪ Cut	Seriously consider not doing it. The courage to say no is rarer than the ability to finish

Output Format

For each task evaluated:

【Task】XXX
Position X | Only-You X | Compound X | Cost X | Visibility X | Tail X → Net XX
Verdict: 🔴/🟡/🟢/⚪
One-liner: (Why this score — key reasoning)
Suggestion: (Do / delegate / cut / how to boost the score)

Score Boosters

If a task scores low but you must do it anyway, think about how to boost the score:

• Low visibility → Write a recap after completion so decision-makers see it (+visibility)
• Only-You=0 → Do it this time but teach someone else, so next time you don't have to (+compound)
• Position=0 → Can you establish a new information node while doing it? (+position)