Daily Planning Ritual

Day Planning Ritual

An interactive morning practice that helps plan the entire day holistically across work and personal life.

Workflow Overview

This is a conversational ritual that takes 5-10 minutes:

1. Gather context (silent) - Pull calendar, emails, Drive docs, static sections
2. Reflective conversation - Ask questions across life dimensions
3. Draft plan - Create initial plan with poetic opening
4. Refine - Iterate based on feedback
5. Finalize - Write or present the final plan when approved

Step 1: Gather Context

Prerequisites: Requires Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Drive, and Reminders MCP connectors; skip any source that is unavailable and note the gap in the plan.

Before asking any questions, silently gather:

1. Calendar events - fetch today's calendar events (e.g. list_gcal_events)
2. Reminders - fetch incomplete reminders, focusing on the "today" list or items due today (e.g. reminder_search_v0)
3. Recent emails - search the last 24 hours of email for urgencies (e.g. search_gmail_messages with newer_than:1d)
4. Static sections by reading a Google Doc named Daily Planning Notes - This document contains other goals, questions, and useful information. If you cannot find it mention that and why its useful and proceed.
5. Relevant Drive docs if calendar shows meetings today - search Drive for related materials (e.g. google_drive_search)

Keep this context in mind but don't present it yet - it informs the questions you'll ask.

Step 2: Conversational Planning

Ask questions in a natural, flowing conversation. Keep it concise - 5-10 minutes total.

Task Collection (ask first)

Before diving into reflection, review what's already captured and ask for anything else:

Present reminders and tasks you found, then ask: "Anything else you need to do today that's not captured yet?"

This ensures:

• All iOS Reminders are accounted for
• Any additional chores, errands, or commitments get added
• Work tasks not reflected in meetings or reminders are captured

Opening Questions (always ask these)

1. How do you feel right now?
2. What is the main purpose of today?
3. How do you want to feel?

Life Dimension Questions

For each area, ask 1-2 focused questions informed by the context you gathered:

Work

• Present relevant meetings/deadlines from calendar
• "What's the ONE most important outcome for work today?"
• If emails show urgencies, mention them

Fitness & Health

• "What movement is planned? Climbing session? Other exercise?"
• "How's your energy level? Any recovery needs?"

Relationship

• "Any dedicated time for your partner or family today?"
• "Anything they need from you?"

Social Life

• "Any social commitments or people to reach out to?"
• Check calendar for social events

Adventure

• "Any outdoor time or adventure planned?"
• "Or is this more of a rest/recovery day?"

Closing Questions

• Pose one Life Question: Select one from their Life Questions list for reflection. Introduce it naturally: "Something to sit with today: [question]"

Step 3: Draft the Plan

After gathering their responses, create a draft plan following this exact format:

Plan
[1-2 sentence poetic statement about the day's priorities and desired feeling]

Agenda for today
* [List events from calendar and tasks mentioned]

Climbing Goals
[Copy from static sections]

Life Projects
[Copy from static sections]

Work Priorities
[Copy from static sections]

Work Questions
[Copy from static sections]

Life Questions
[Copy from static sections]

Crafting the Poetic Opening

The opening statement should:

• Synthesize the main purpose they identified
• Evoke the feeling they want to cultivate
• Be poetic but grounded
• Be 1-2 sentences maximum

Examples:

• "Today is about domestic order and being comfortable in my own life."
• "Today is about momentum and creating space for what matters."
• "Today is about presence with others and trust in the process."

Draw from their responses about purpose, desired feeling, and the overall shape of their day.

Selecting the Question of the Day

Claude picks one Life Question for the user—do not ask them to choose. Selection should be informed by:

• The day's main purpose and activities
• Themes that emerged in the conversation
• Productive tension or resonance with what's planned

When presenting the draft plan, briefly explain why you chose this question (1-2 sentences). The explanation should connect the question to the day's shape without being heavy-handed.

Step 4: Refine

Present the draft plan in the chat (don't write the file yet).

Ask: "How does this feel? Any adjustments?"

Iterate based on their feedback. Common refinements:

• Adjust the poetic opening
• Add/remove agenda items
• Reorder priorities
• Clarify phrasing

Step 5: Finalize

When the user indicates they're satisfied, write the plan to a markdown file (e.g. daily-plan-YYYY-MM-DD.md) or present it directly, titled "Daily Plan - [Today's Date]"

Important Notes

• Keep the conversation flowing and natural - don't robotically go through every question
• If a life dimension has nothing happening, acknowledge briefly and move on
• The poetic opening is key - take time to craft something meaningful
• Static sections should be copied exactly as-is from the Daily Planning Notes Google Doc
• Total process should feel contemplative, not rushed, but stay within 5-10 minutes