Project outlines

• Project outlines blogpost worksheet
  • DONE
    • [X] 2023-05-02 Start writing a blog post in outline format instead of regular prose to show what I'm talking about
    • [X] 2023-05-02 Extend the blog engine to support outline-format posts
    • [X] 2023-05-02 Mark the initial items as done so they show how the "DONE" section gets filled
    • [X] 2023-09-20 Update with the oneliner for listing all done items
  • [_] Explain that the DONE section is generally always kept folded in the editor
    • This way it doesn't clutter the view even with long-lived projects that accrue a very lone done-list
    • You should have a text editor that can do indentation-based folds if you work with outline notes
    • The topmost TODO item can be moved to DONE by just indenting it, no cut-and-paste required
  • [_] Figure out an order for the tasks so it makes sense to read out linearly
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• Sometimes/maybe TODO items
  • [_] Turn the gimmick project outline into a regular post
    • Readers might have a hard time making sense of the outline format
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• What's the deal with this anyway?
  • This is an example of a TODO list outline structure used for project management
    • Also the first blog post using the outline style described in the outline notes post
  • The top of the worksheet, right below the DONE section is a priorized TODO list
  • The top item below the DONE list should be the next action for the project
  • If it doesn't look like a viable next action, you need to review and update the list
  • Worksheet items below it are straightforward high-priority actions
    • They should be small, concrete and easy to start
  • Future plans go to sections below the worksheet
    • These can be much more vague, just a general idea of something to accomplish
    • Further details can be written under each task item
  • Try to keep the top worksheet at 20-30 items max
    • If the item list starts growing out of control, they should be delegated to lower sections as future plans
  • I've been using these since 2020 and they still feel like a good way to plan projects
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• Why is this good?
  • DONE list forms a record of what you did on the project
  • Next actions focus work, you always have a single concrete thing to start working on next
  • 20-ish item worksheet list is a manageable scratch space for imminent tasks
  • Lower document can be an arbitrarily detailed project plan without weighting down the active TODO list
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• Summarizing what you've done
  • Here's a nushell oneliner for a sorted list of all your completed items:
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  • cat *.otl | lines | str trim -l | where {|x| $x =~ `\[X\] \d\d\d\d-\d\d-\d\d` } | sort | less