8.6 KiB
8.6 KiB
created, updated
| created | updated |
|---|---|
| 2025-11-02T21:50 | 2025-11-02T21:51 |
Current State Tracking Patterns
Overview
Current state visualizations help answer "what's on my plate right now?" and "where is everything?" They make invisible work visible and help manage cognitive load.
When to Use
- User asks "what should I focus on?"
- User feels overwhelmed by "too many things"
- User needs to see what's active vs. waiting
- User mentions context-switching fatigue
- User wants to track progress on multiple fronts
Pattern: Simple Kanban Board
Use for tracking active tasks through workflow states.
graph LR
subgraph Backlog[" 📋 To Do"]
T1[Plan Q1 goals]
T2[Schedule dentist]
T3[Research new laptop]
end
subgraph InProgress[" 🚧 In Progress"]
I1[Draft team doc<br/>⚡⚡⚡<br/>45 min left]
I2[Order birthday gift<br/>⚡<br/>10 min left]
end
subgraph Blocked[" ⏸️ Waiting/Blocked"]
B1[Finish expense report<br/>Waiting for receipts]
B2[Start new project<br/>Waiting for approval]
end
subgraph Done[" ✅ Done Today"]
D1[Responded to emails]
D2[Updated calendar]
D3[Watered plants]
end
Backlog --> InProgress
InProgress --> Done
InProgress --> Blocked
Blocked --> InProgress
style InProgress fill:#fff3cd
style Done fill:#d4f1d4
style Blocked fill:#f8d7da
style Backlog fill:#e1f5ff
Key features:
- Visual separation of states
- "Waiting/Blocked" category acknowledges not everything is in your control
- "Done today" section for celebrating progress
- Energy indicators (⚡) on in-progress items
- Time estimates for active work
Limit in-progress items to 2-3 - more = cognitive overload.
Pattern: Energy/Priority Matrix
Use when user needs to decide what to focus on based on energy AND importance.
%%{init: {'theme':'base'}}%%
quadrantChart
title Task Prioritization Matrix
x-axis Low Energy Cost --> High Energy Cost
y-axis Low Impact --> High Impact
quadrant-1 "Schedule it (High energy, high impact)"
quadrant-2 "Do now (Low energy, high impact)"
quadrant-3 "Do when tired (Low energy, low impact)"
quadrant-4 "Question it (High energy, high impact)"
Respond to client email: [0.2, 0.85]
File expenses: [0.3, 0.4]
Write project proposal: [0.85, 0.9]
Organize desktop files: [0.5, 0.3]
Quick team check-in: [0.3, 0.7]
Deep work on feature: [0.9, 0.85]
Water plants: [0.15, 0.2]
Review design mockups: [0.6, 0.8]
How to use:
- Top-right (High impact, high energy): Schedule dedicated time
- Top-left (High impact, low energy): Do these first
- Bottom-left (Low impact, low energy): Do when tired/low motivation
- Bottom-right (Low impact, high energy): Question if necessary
Key insight: Not everything urgent is high-energy. Not everything important needs peak focus.
Pattern: Context-Based Current State
Use when user works across multiple contexts (personal, work, home).
flowchart TD
Today[Today's Focus] --> Contexts{What context<br/>are you in?}
Contexts --> Work[💼 Work Context]
Contexts --> Home[🏠 Home Context]
Contexts --> Personal[🧘 Personal Context]
Work --> W1[Active: Finish slides<br/>⚡⚡⚡ 1 hour<br/>Due: Tomorrow]
Work --> W2[Waiting: Feedback from team<br/>Check: Monday]
Work --> W3[Backlog: Plan Q2<br/>Start: Next week]
Home --> H1[Active: Meal prep<br/>⚡⚡ 45 min<br/>Do: Tonight]
Home --> H2[Active: Order supplies<br/>⚡ 10 min<br/>Do: Now]
Home --> H3[Waiting: Furniture delivery<br/>Arrives: Thursday]
Personal --> P1[Active: Call friend<br/>⚡ 15 min<br/>Do: This weekend]
Personal --> P2[Backlog: Research therapists<br/>Start: When ready]
style Today fill:#e1f5ff
style W1 fill:#fff3cd
style H1 fill:#fff3cd
style H2 fill:#fff3cd
style P1 fill:#fff3cd
Key features:
- Separates contexts to reduce cognitive load
- Shows what's active in each context
- Helps with context-switching awareness
- Acknowledges different energy states for different contexts
Pattern: Sprint/Time-Box Current State
Use when user wants to see what they're committing to for a specific time period.
gantt
title This Week's Focus (Nov 4-8)
dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
section Monday
Review emails & calendar :done, 2024-11-04, 1h
Team standup :done, 2024-11-04, 30m
Deep work: Draft proposal :active, 2024-11-04, 2h
section Tuesday
Client call :2024-11-05, 1h
Finish proposal :2024-11-05, 2h
Admin tasks :2024-11-05, 1h
section Wednesday
Meeting-free deep work day :crit, 2024-11-06, 6h
section Thursday
Team sync :2024-11-07, 1h
Review feedback :2024-11-07, 2h
1:1 with manager :2024-11-07, 30m
section Friday
Wrap up loose ends :2024-11-08, 2h
Weekly review :2024-11-08, 30m
Light admin work :2024-11-08, 1h
Key features:
- Time-bound commitment (reduces overwhelm)
- Shows realistic workload for the week
- Includes admin/overhead time
- Protected focus time visible
- Can see if overcommitted
Guideline: If more than 6 hours of active work per day → overcommitted.
Pattern: "Too Many Things" Triage
Use when user is overwhelmed and needs to quickly sort through mental clutter.
flowchart TD
Overwhelm[😰 Everything feels urgent] --> List[Brain dump:<br/>List everything<br/>in your head<br/>5 minutes]
List --> Sort{For each item,<br/>ask:}
Sort --> Q1{Will something<br/>bad happen if I<br/>don't do this<br/>in 48 hours?}
Q1 -->|Yes| Urgent[🔥 Truly Urgent<br/>Max 2-3 items]
Q1 -->|No| Q2{Do I actually<br/>have to do this,<br/>or is it 'nice<br/>to have'?}
Q2 -->|Must do| Important[📌 Important<br/>Schedule time]
Q2 -->|Nice to have| Later[💭 Maybe Later<br/>Park it for now]
Q2 -->|Not sure| Clarify[❓ Need Info<br/>Ask someone]
Urgent --> Today[Do today:<br/>ONE urgent thing<br/>at a time]
Important --> Week[Schedule this week:<br/>In specific time slots]
Later --> Forget[Move to 'someday'<br/>list and forget<br/>for now]
Clarify --> Ask[Send one email<br/>to get clarity]
style Overwhelm fill:#f8d7da
style Today fill:#fff3cd
style Week fill:#e1f5ff
style Forget fill:#d4f1d4
Key features:
- Starts from emotional state
- Rapid sorting without overthinking
- Permission to park things
- Limits "urgent" to what's truly urgent
- Ends with clear next actions
Pattern: Completion Visibility
Use when user struggles to see progress or feels like nothing gets done.
flowchart LR
Week[This Week] --> Mon[Monday ✅]
Week --> Tue[Tuesday ✅]
Week --> Wed[Wednesday ✅]
Week --> Thu[Thursday 👉]
Week --> Fri[Friday]
Mon --> M1[✅ Sent client email<br/>✅ Updated slides<br/>✅ Watered plants]
Tue --> T1[✅ Team meeting<br/>✅ Expense report<br/>✅ Ordered supplies]
Wed --> W1[✅ Deep work session<br/>✅ Reviewed PRs<br/>✅ Made dinner]
Thu --> T2[⏳ In progress:<br/>• Draft document<br/>• Schedule calls]
Fri --> F1[📋 Planned:<br/>• Weekly review<br/>• Wrap up tasks]
style Mon fill:#d4f1d4
style Tue fill:#d4f1d4
style Wed fill:#d4f1d4
style Thu fill:#fff3cd
style Fri fill:#e1f5ff
Key features:
- Shows completed work (often invisible)
- Includes "tiny" tasks (watered plants counts!)
- Current day highlighted
- Builds evidence of progress
- Combats "I got nothing done" feeling
Language Guidelines
Use validating, pressure-reducing language:
✅ DO:
- "You can only work on 2-3 things at once"
- "It's okay to say no to low-priority items"
- "What can wait?"
- "What's blocking you that's outside your control?"
- "You've done more than you realize"
- "Small progress is still progress"
❌ DON'T:
- "You should be able to handle more"
- "Just get it all done"
- "Why isn't this finished yet?"
- "You're not being productive enough"
- "Stop being lazy"
Capacity Guidelines
Help users avoid overcommitment:
- Active work limit: 2-3 items simultaneously
- Daily capacity: 4-6 hours of focused work (not 8!)
- Meeting tolerance: Different for everyone, but track it
- Context switches: Each switch costs 10-15 min of cognitive recovery
- Buffer time: Plan for 60-70% of available time, not 100%