Task Management & Prioritization

Create, organize, and track tasks with smart prioritization and daily review.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User mentions "create a task" or "add to my todo list"
• User wants to "convert this email to a task"
• User asks "what's on my task list" or "what should I do today"
• User mentions "task review" or "daily priorities"
• User wants to update or complete tasks

Dynamic Context

The following live data is available:

Open tasks:

!`TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id' 2>/dev/null) && [ -n "$TASKLIST_ID" ] && gog tasks list "$TASKLIST_ID" --json 2>/dev/null || echo "GOG_NOT_CONFIGURED"`

Important: All task operations require a task list ID. Get it with:

TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')

Task Taxonomy

Priority Levels (P0-P3)

• P0 (Critical): Drop everything, do now

  • Blocking others' work
  • System outages or emergencies
  • Hard deadline within hours
  • High-impact and high-urgency

• P1 (High): Important, do soon

  • Deadline within 1-3 days
  • Stakeholder requests
  • Significant impact if delayed
  • Part of current sprint/focus

• P2 (Medium): Normal priority

  • Deadline within 1-2 weeks
  • Routine work items
  • Moderate impact
  • Can be scheduled flexibly

• P3 (Low): Nice to have

  • No specific deadline
  • Low impact if delayed
  • Backlog items
  • Ideas or improvements

Categories

• Work: Professional/job-related tasks

  • Project work, meetings prep, emails, reports

• Personal: Personal life tasks

  • Hobbies, self-care, family, learning

• Errands: Out-of-office tasks

  • Shopping, appointments, calls, pickups

• Admin: Bureaucratic tasks

  • Paperwork, taxes, bills, legal matters

Workflow

Creating Tasks

From Email

When user says "create a task for email [id]" or "turn this into a task":

1. Fetch email if not in context:

   bashCopy

   gog gmail get <email_id> --json
   

2. Extract task details:

   • Title: Email subject (may need shortening)
   • Description: Key points from email body
   • Priority: Infer from urgency (default: P2)
   • Category: Infer from content (default: Work)
   • Due date: Extract if mentioned, otherwise ask
   • Related email ID: Store for reference

3. Present proposed task:

   markdownCopy

   ## Proposed Task
   
   **Title**: [Derived from email subject]
   **Description**: [Key points from email]
   **Priority**: [P0/P1/P2/P3] (rationale: [why])
   **Category**: [Work/Personal/Errands/Admin]
   **Due date**: [Date or "Not specified"]
   **Source**: Email from [sender] on [date]
   
   Does this look correct? Adjustments needed?
   

4. Iterate if user wants changes

5. Request confirmation: "Ready to create this task?"

6. Create when user confirms:

   bashCopy

   # Get task list ID (first time or cache it)
   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   
   # Create task
   gog tasks add "$TASKLIST_ID" \
     --title "Task title" \
     --notes "Task description" \
     --due 2026-02-05 \
     --json
   

   Note: GOG CLI v0.9.0 task commands require a task list ID. Priority and category are tracked in the notes field or as custom metadata.

7. Confirm creation:

   markdownCopy

   ✅ **Task Created**
   
   Task ID: task_abc123
   Title: [title]
   Priority: [P1]
   Due: [date]
   
   View all tasks: "Show my tasks"
   

From Scratch

When user says "create a task to [X]":

1. Gather details by asking:

   markdownCopy

   Let me create that task. A few questions:
   
   1. **Title**: "[Suggested based on user input]" - is this good?
   2. **Priority**: P0 (critical), P1 (high), P2 (medium), or P3 (low)?
   3. **Category**: Work, Personal, Errands, or Admin?
   4. **Due date**: When does this need to be done?
   5. **Additional details**: Anything else to note?
   

2. Accept shorthand answers: e.g., "1: yes, 2: P1, 3: Work, 4: Friday"

3. Present and confirm before creating

Reviewing Tasks

Daily Task Review

When user says "task review" or "what should I do today":

1. Fetch open tasks:

   bashCopy

   # Get task list ID
   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   
   # List all tasks
   gog tasks list "$TASKLIST_ID" --json
   

2. Analyze and categorize:

   • Today's priorities (P0/P1 tasks due soon)
   • Overdue tasks
   • Blocked tasks (if status indicates)
   • Tasks waiting on others

3. Present structured review:

   markdownCopy

   # Daily Task Review — [Day], [Date]
   
   ## 🔥 Top 5 Tasks for Today
   
   1. **[Task Title]** (P0, due today)
      - Category: Work
      - Details: [Brief description]
      - Task ID: task_abc123
   
   2. [...]
   
   ## ⚠️  Overdue Tasks ([N] total)
   
   - **[Task Title]** (P1, due [date])
     - [Why it's overdue context]
     - Task ID: task_def456
   
   ## 🚧 Blocked / Waiting on Others ([N] total)
   
   - **[Task Title]** (P2)
     - Blocked by: [What/who]
     - Task ID: task_ghi789
   
   ## 📅 This Week (Non-urgent)
   
   [List of P2/P3 tasks due this week]
   
   ---
   
   **Suggested Focus**:
   1. Start with: [Task title] (highest priority)
   2. Then tackle: [Task title]
   3. If blocked, move to: [Task title]
   
   **Actions**:
   - To complete a task: "Mark task_abc123 as done"
   - To update priority: "Change task_def456 to P0"
   - To see task details: "Show task task_ghi789"
   

List All Tasks

When user says "show my tasks" or "list tasks":

1. Fetch and display:
   markdownCopy

   # Your Tasks ([N] open)
   
   ## By Priority
   
   ### P0 (Critical) — [N] tasks
   - [Task title] (due: [date], category: [category])
   
   ### P1 (High) — [N] tasks
   - [Task title] (due: [date], category: [category])
   
   [etc.]
   
   ## By Category
   
   ### Work — [N] tasks
   - [List]
   
   ### Personal — [N] tasks
   - [List]
   
   [etc.]
   

Updating Tasks

Mark as Complete

When user says "complete task [id]" or "mark done":

1. Fetch task details for confirmation:

   bashCopy

   # Get task list ID
   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   
   # Get task details
   gog tasks list "$TASKLIST_ID" --json | jq '.tasks[] | select(.id == "task_abc123")'
   

2. Confirm:

   markdownCopy

   Mark this task as complete?
   
   **Task**: [title]
   **Priority**: [P1]
   **Due**: [date]
   
   Reply "yes" to complete.
   

3. Update:

   bashCopy

   # Get task list ID
   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   
   # Mark task as done
   gog tasks done "$TASKLIST_ID" task_abc123 --json
   

4. Celebrate:

   markdownCopy

   ✅ **Task Completed!**
   
   [Task title] is done.
   
   Remaining open tasks: [N]
   

Update Priority or Details

When user says "change task [id] to P0" or "update task [id]":

1. Show current state

2. Confirm changes

3. Update (Note: GOG CLI doesn't support direct priority updates. Use task notes):

   bashCopy

   # Get task list ID
   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   
   # Update task with priority in notes
   # Note: v0.9.0 requires using patch or updating the task with new notes
   # Priority and category should be tracked in the notes field
   # Example: gog tasks patch "$TASKLIST_ID" task_abc123 --notes "[P0] Updated task description"
   

   Note: Priority and category updates may require updating the task's notes field to include priority markers like [P0], [Work], etc.

Delete Task

When user says "delete task [id]":

1. ⚠️ Warning:

   markdownCopy

   ⚠️  **Delete Task?**
   
   This will permanently delete:
   
   **Task**: [title]
   **Priority**: [P1]
   **Created**: [date]
   
   This cannot be undone. Are you sure? Reply "yes, delete" to confirm.
   

2. Only delete with explicit confirmation: "yes, delete" or "delete it"

3. Delete:

   bashCopy

   # Get task list ID
   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   
   # Delete task
   gog tasks delete "$TASKLIST_ID" task_abc123 --json
   

Output Format (Strict)

Task Creation Confirmation

✅ **Task Created**

Task ID: [task_id]
Title: [title]
Priority: [P0/P1/P2/P3]
Category: [category]
Due: [date or "Not set"]

Daily Review Structure

# Daily Task Review — [Date]

## 🔥 Top 5 Tasks for Today
[Prioritized list with IDs]

## ⚠️  Overdue Tasks ([N] total)
[List with context]

## 🚧 Blocked / Waiting on Others ([N] total)
[List with blocker info]

## 📅 This Week (Non-urgent)
[P2/P3 tasks due this week]

---

**Suggested Focus**: [Ordered recommendations]

**Actions**: [Next step options]

Task List Format

# Your Tasks ([N] open)

## By Priority
[Grouped by P0/P1/P2/P3]

## By Category
[Grouped by Work/Personal/Errands/Admin]

Examples

Example 1: Create Task from Email

User: "Create a task for email msg_abc123"

Assistant:

[Fetches email...]

## Proposed Task

**Title**: Review Q2 contract proposal
**Description**: Legal team needs feedback on vendor contract by Friday. Check sections 3.2 (payment terms) and 5.1 (liability).
**Priority**: P1 (High) — Rationale: Deadline in 2 days, blocking legal team
**Category**: Work
**Due date**: 2026-01-31 (Friday)
**Source**: Email from legal@company.com on 2026-01-28

Does this look correct? Any adjustments?

User: "Looks good"

Assistant:

Ready to create this task?

User: "Yes"

Assistant:

[Creates task...]

✅ **Task Created**

Task ID: task_xyz789
Title: Review Q2 contract proposal
Priority: P1
Due: 2026-01-31

You now have [N] open tasks. Run "task review" to see your daily priorities.

Example 2: Daily Task Review

User: "What should I focus on today?"

Assistant:

Let me review your tasks for today.

[Fetches tasks...]

# Daily Task Review — Tuesday, January 28

## 🔥 Top 5 Tasks for Today

1. **Budget approval - sign off by noon** (P0, due today)
   - Category: Work
   - Details: Finance needs approval for Q2 budget allocation
   - Task ID: task_aaa111

2. **Prepare client demo slides** (P1, due tomorrow)
   - Category: Work
   - Details: Acme Corp demo at 2pm Wednesday
   - Task ID: task_bbb222

3. **Code review for authentication PR** (P1, due today)
   - Category: Work
   - Details: PR #456 blocking deployment
   - Task ID: task_ccc333

4. **Schedule dentist appointment** (P2, due this week)
   - Category: Errands
   - Details: Overdue for cleaning, need to call
   - Task ID: task_ddd444

5. **Review team feedback doc** (P2, due Friday)
   - Category: Work
   - Details: Performance review cycle input
   - Task ID: task_eee555

## ⚠️  Overdue Tasks (1 total)

- **Submit expense report** (P2, due last Friday)
  - Category: Admin
  - Context: Waiting for receipt from vendor
  - Task ID: task_fff666

## 🚧 Blocked / Waiting on Others (2 total)

- **Finalize hiring decision** (P1)
  - Blocked by: Waiting for reference checks from HR
  - Task ID: task_ggg777

- **Deploy new feature** (P1)
  - Blocked by: Waiting for security review completion
  - Task ID: task_hhh888

---

**Suggested Focus**:
1. Start with: Budget approval (P0, hard deadline at noon)
2. Then tackle: Code review (blocking team)
3. If time: Client demo slides (important for tomorrow)

**Actions**:
- To complete a task: "Mark task_aaa111 as done"
- To update priority: "Change task_ddd444 to P3"
- To see task details: "Show task task_bbb222"

Which task would you like to start with?

Example 3: Quick Task Creation

User: "Add a task to call vendor about invoice, high priority, due Friday"

Assistant:

## Proposed Task

**Title**: Call vendor about invoice
**Priority**: P1 (High)
**Category**: Work (or Errands? Let me know)
**Due date**: 2026-01-31 (Friday)

Ready to create this task?

User: "Yes, make it Admin category"

Assistant:

[Creates task with category: Admin...]

✅ **Task Created**

Task ID: task_ijk012
Title: Call vendor about invoice
Priority: P1
Category: Admin
Due: 2026-01-31

Failure Modes / Troubleshooting

Cannot Determine Priority

Symptom: Unclear whether task is P0, P1, P2, or P3

Resolution:

1. Ask directly: "Is this urgent (P0/P1) or can it wait (P2/P3)?"
2. Provide examples: "P0 = must do today, P1 = this week, P2 = this month, P3 = someday"
3. Default to P2 if truly uncertain and user doesn't clarify

Task from Email Missing Due Date

Symptom: Email doesn't mention when task is due

Resolution:

1. Check for implicit cues: "by EOD", "before the meeting", etc.
2. Ask user: "When does this need to be done?"
3. If no deadline, leave due date empty or set far in future (30 days)

Too Many Open Tasks

Symptom: User has 100+ open tasks, daily review is overwhelming

Resolution:

1. Filter aggressively: Show only P0/P1 or only tasks due this week
2. Suggest: "You have many open tasks. Let's focus on top priorities only. Want to archive completed or low-priority tasks?"
3. Help user triage: "Let's do a batch review of P3 tasks—any we can delete or defer?"

Task Already Exists (Duplicate)

Symptom: User tries to create task that seems duplicate

Resolution:

1. Check existing tasks for similar titles
2. Warn: "You already have a similar task: '[Title]' (task_xxx). Create anyway?"
3. If confirmed, create as new task

GOG Not Configured

Symptom: Dynamic context shows GOG_NOT_CONFIGURED

Resolution:

1. Inform: "GOG CLI is not configured. See: skills/gog/_shared/references/gog-interface.md"
2. Suggest: "Run gog auth login to authenticate"
3. Offer: "I can still help you plan tasks manually (without saving to GOG)"

Safety Rules

1. Confirmation for creates/deletes - Always confirm before creating or deleting tasks
2. No auto-completion - Don't mark tasks done without explicit user instruction
3. Preserve context - When creating tasks from emails, always link back (related_email_id)
4. Priority inflation prevention - Don't mark everything P0/P1; use full range
5. Privacy - Don't include sensitive details in task titles (visible in list views)

Safe Test

To safely test this skill using only user@example.com:

Test 1: Create and Complete Task (Safe)

In Claude Code:

1. Load gog-tasks skill
2. Say: "Create a task: Test task for GOG, priority P2, category Personal, due tomorrow"
3. Confirm creation
4. Verify task is created via:
   bashCopy

   TASKLIST_ID=$(gog tasks lists --json | jq -r '.tasklists[0].id')
   gog tasks list "$TASKLIST_ID" --json
   

5. Say: "Mark that task as done"
6. Confirm completion
7. Verify task is completed

Test 2: Daily Review (Read-Only, Safe)

1. Say: "Task review" or "What should I do today?"
2. Verify output includes:
   • Top 5 tasks section
   • Overdue section (if any)
   • Blocked section (if any)
   • Suggested focus
3. Confirm no tasks are auto-completed or modified

Test 3: Create Task from Email (Safe)

1. Get an email ID from your inbox
2. Say: "Create a task for email [id]"
3. Review proposed task
4. Confirm creation
5. Verify task links back to email (related_email_id field)

See skills/gog/_shared/references/testing.md for complete test plan.

Notes

• This skill integrates with:

  • gog-email-triage: Often creates tasks for action-required emails
  • gog-email-draft: Task notes can inform email replies
  • gog-calendar: Tasks may become calendar events
  • gog-followups: Completed tasks may spawn follow-ups

• Consider creating task templates for recurring tasks (weekly reports, monthly reviews)

• For large projects, break into multiple tasks with clear dependencies

• Use tags (if GOG supports) for additional organization beyond categories

• Daily review is most effective when done at consistent time each day (morning standup with yourself)