Spent 15 minutes every morning writing my task list.
Now it appears in my inbox automatically when I wake up.
MY CHALLENGE:
Every morning same routine. Open notebook. Think about what needs doing today. Write list. Already using brain power before actual work.
Some tasks are recurring. Check email. Review calendar. Follow up on yesterday’s tasks. Write them every single day.
MY APPROACH:
Built workflow that generates my daily task list automatically based on calendar, deadlines, and recurring items.
Node 1 – Calendar Reader: Checks today’s calendar events. Extracts meeting times and titles. Creates task for each meeting preparation.
Node 2 – Deadline Checker: Looks at my project deadline spreadsheet. Finds anything due this week. Adds tasks for items needing work today.
Node 3 – Recurring Task Adder: Adds my daily recurring tasks. Check email. Review metrics. Update project status. These never change.
Node 4 – Yesterday’s Follow-up: Checks yesterday’s task list. Finds uncompleted items. Rolls them forward to today.
Node 5 – List Formatter: Takes all tasks and creates formatted email. Organizes by priority. Adds time estimates. Sends to my inbox at 6 AM.
WHAT I LEARNED:
Morning consistency matters. Getting task list at same time every morning creates routine. Know exactly what needs doing before day starts.
Time estimates help prioritize. Workflow adds rough time estimate to each task. Helps me see if I have realistic workload or need to cut tasks.
Rolling forward works better than guilt. Uncompleted tasks automatically move to next day. No forgetting. No guilt about yesterday.
THE RESULT:
This morning woke up to task list already in inbox. Nine tasks. Three from calendar. Two from deadlines. Three recurring. One from yesterday.
BEFORE automation:
Morning planning time: 15 minutes
Forgotten tasks: 2-3 weekly
Day structure: Figured out as I went
AFTER automation:
Morning planning time: 2 minutes reviewing list
Forgotten tasks: Zero
Day structure: Clear from start
SETUP TIME:
Built in 50 minutes. Most complex part was pulling from multiple sources and formatting nicely.
MY TASK LIST FORMAT:
High Priority: Due today items
Medium Priority: This week items
Low Priority: Recurring maintenance
Rolled Forward: Yesterday’s incomplete
Simple categories. Easy scanning.
About the Author
