claude-home/productivity/CONTEXT.md

Productivity Tools - Technology Context

Overview

ADHD-optimized task management system designed to break the context-switching spiral. The system uses a persistent terminal dashboard with zero-friction brain dump capture to help maintain focus while capturing interrupting thoughts.

Architecture Patterns

Single-Focus with Brain Dump Pattern

Pattern: One visible task at a time with instant thought capture

• Current Focus: Single task display with time tracking
• Brain Dump: Zero-friction capture without context switching
• Auto-Progression: System-managed task transitions
• Priority Queue: Automatic high→medium→low ordering

When to Use:

• ADHD workflow challenges
• Frequent context switching problems
• "Meant to do" task accumulation
• Need for always-visible task tracking
• Terminal-based work environments

Design Principles

1. Minimal Friction: Two-second task capture without switching
2. Always Visible: Persistent terminal dashboard prevents forgetting
3. Single Focus: One task display reduces overwhelm
4. Auto-Progression: System picks next task, reducing decision fatigue
5. Time Awareness: Duration tracking without judgment

Core Components

Task Manager Core

Purpose: Central task management with priority queuing and state management Location: ~/.claude/tools/task-manager/task_manager.py

Key Features:

• Priority-based task ordering (High/Medium/Low)
• Task states: brain_dump, current, completed, snoozed
• Auto-progression on task completion
• Snooze functionality with time-based wake-up
• JSON-based persistence

Data Model:

class Task:
    id: str                      # Timestamp-based unique ID
    description: str             # Task description
    priority: str                # high, medium, low
    status: str                  # brain_dump, current, completed, snoozed
    created_at: str             # ISO timestamp
    started_at: Optional[str]   # When task became current
    completed_at: Optional[str] # Completion timestamp
    snoozed_until: Optional[str] # Wake-up time for snoozed tasks

Terminal Dashboard

Purpose: Persistent visual display of current focus and brain dump queue Location: ~/.claude/tools/task-manager/dashboard.py

Display Components:

• Current focus with elapsed time
• Brain dump queue (up to 8 tasks visible)
• Completion statistics
• Command reference

Update Behavior:

• Auto-refreshes every 1 second
• Reads from JSON file (detects CLI changes)
• Uses rich library for clean TUI rendering

CLI Interface

Purpose: Zero-friction command-line task operations Location: ~/.claude/tools/task-manager/cli.py

Core Commands:

• task dump "description" - Brain dump capture (most important!)
• task done - Complete current, auto-load next
• task next - Skip to next task
• task snooze [hours] - Snooze current task
• task add "description" --now - Add and make current
• task - Show current status

Priority Flags:

• --high - High priority (🔴)
• --medium - Medium priority (🟡) [default]
• --low - Low priority (🟢)

Implementation Patterns

The Context-Switch Spiral Solution

Problem Pattern:

Working on Task A → Remember Task B → Switch to Task B →
Remember Task C → Task A forgotten → Task B becomes "meant to do" → Loop

Solution Pattern:

Working on Task A → Remember Task B → `task dump "Task B"` →
Continue Task A → Complete with `task done` → System auto-loads Task B

Brain Dump Workflow

1. Capture: task dump "thought" (2 seconds, no context switch)
2. Visible: Task appears in brain dump queue on dashboard
3. Continue: Keep working on current focus
4. Auto-Load: Task surfaces when current task completes

Priority Management

Automatic Ordering:

1. High priority tasks (🔴) surface first
2. Medium priority tasks (🟡) second
3. Low priority tasks (🟢) last
4. Within priority level, oldest tasks first

Use Cases:

• --high: Urgent, time-sensitive, or blocking tasks
• --medium: Normal daily work (default)
• --low: "Nice to have", research, exploration

Time Tracking Pattern

Purpose: Awareness without judgment

• Shows elapsed time on current task
• No alerts or pressure
• Helps identify time sinks naturally
• User decides when to move on

Common Workflows

Morning Startup

# Brain dump everything you need to do
task dump "Review PRs" --high
task dump "Update documentation"
task dump "Research new library" --low

# Load first task (highest priority)
task next

# Start dashboard in persistent pane
task-dashboard

During Work Day

# Working on current task... suddenly remember something
task dump "email Staci about dinner"

# Thought is captured, visible in brain dump, keep working

# Finish current task
task done
# → Auto-loads next task from queue

Handling Interruptions

# Urgent task comes up
task add "Fix production bug" --now --high
# → Immediately becomes current focus
# → Previous task moved back to brain dump

# Can't work on current task right now
task snooze 2
# → Snoozed for 2 hours
# → Next task auto-loaded

End of Day

# Check what's left
task

# Everything in brain dump waits for tomorrow
# Completed tasks tracked in stats

Best Practices

Dashboard Setup

Persistent Pane Strategy:

• Use tmux/screen split pane for dashboard
• Keep visible on secondary monitor
• Always-visible = can't forget to check
• Alternative: Dedicated terminal window

Terminal Multiplexer Example (tmux):

# Split terminal horizontally
tmux split-window -h

# Run dashboard in right pane
task-dashboard

# Work in left pane

Brain Dump Discipline

Key Principles:

• Capture thoughts immediately when they appear
• Don't evaluate or organize - just dump
• Trust the system to surface them later
• Priority can be added later if wrong

Anti-Patterns to Avoid:

• Stopping work to add detailed task information
• Trying to organize tasks while capturing
• Skipping capture because task seems "small"
• Context switching to "quickly do" the task

Priority Usage

High Priority - Use sparingly:

• Urgent deadlines (today/this week)
• Blocking other people's work
• Production issues
• Time-sensitive opportunities

Medium Priority - Default for most work:

• Regular daily tasks
• Normal project work
• Scheduled activities

Low Priority - Background/optional:

• Research and exploration
• "Someday/maybe" items
• Nice-to-have improvements

System Maintenance

Daily:

• Complete tasks as you work
• Brain dump new thoughts immediately
• Trust auto-progression

Weekly:

• Review low-priority items
• Clean up stale tasks
• Adjust priorities if needed

Integration Patterns

PATH Integration

Location: ~/.bashrc

export PATH="$HOME/.claude/tools/task-manager:$PATH"

Benefits:

• task and task-dashboard available globally
• No full paths needed
• Muscle memory development

Data Storage

Location: ~/.claude/tools/task-manager/tasks.json Format: JSON with task array and metadata

Backup Strategy:

• File-based storage enables easy backup
• Can sync via Dropbox/Google Drive if desired
• Simple JSON enables scripting/reporting

Future Integration Points

Planned Enhancements:

• Notion MCP sync (Cal has integration available)
• Discord notifications on task completion
• Scheduled Jarvis check-ins (periodic reminders)
• Voice capture integration
• Pomodoro timer integration
• Analytics and reporting

Technical Details

File Structure

~/.claude/tools/task-manager/
├── task_manager.py      # Core task management logic
├── dashboard.py         # TUI dashboard (persistent display)
├── cli.py              # Command-line interface
├── task                # Shell wrapper for CLI
├── task-dashboard      # Shell wrapper for dashboard
├── tasks.json          # Data storage (auto-created)
└── README.md           # User documentation

Dependencies

• Python 3.7+
• rich library for TUI rendering
• No other external dependencies

Installation

Already Installed - Cal's system:

• Scripts: ~/.claude/tools/task-manager/
• PATH: Added to ~/.bashrc
• Data: ~/.claude/tools/task-manager/tasks.json

ADHD-Specific Optimizations

Why Traditional Systems Fail

1. Hidden in apps - Out of sight, out of mind
2. Too much organization - Analysis paralysis
3. Too many features - Overwhelm and abandonment
4. No immediate feedback - Delayed dopamine
5. Context switching required - Defeats purpose

How This System Addresses ADHD

1. Always visible - Persistent terminal display
2. Minimal organization - Just dump and go
3. Minimal features - Only what's needed
4. Immediate feedback - Instant completion confirmation
5. Zero context switch - Capture without abandoning work

The Psychology

Reduced Anxiety: Thoughts are captured and visible Maintained Focus: No need to switch away from current work Reduced Overwhelm: Single focus display, not full list Dopamine Feedback: Immediate confirmation on completion Decision Reduction: System picks next task automatically

This productivity system is optimized specifically for ADHD workflows and terminal-based work environments, providing the minimal viable structure needed to maintain focus while capturing interrupting thoughts.