gh-jackreis-neurodivergent-visual-org/skills/neurodivergent-visual-org/references/current-state-boards.md

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:

1. Top-right (High impact, high energy): Schedule dedicated time
2. Top-left (High impact, low energy): Do these first
3. Bottom-left (Low impact, low energy): Do when tired/low motivation
4. 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%