📥 How to Triage
📥 How to Triage – Empty Your Inbox in ≤ 7 Minutes§
Pin this card at the very top of the 📥 Inbox list and never move or archive it. You’ll open it every time you finish a work block or clock-out for the day.
0 · Why bother?§
| If you don’t triage… | …then you’ll suffer |
|---|---|
| Cards pile up → mental drag | Stress, missed deadlines |
| Q1 Doing grows past 3 → focus fragments | Context-switch tax, slower work |
| Unsorted ideas rot in Inbox → opportunity loss | Fewer Kaizen wins, stale backlog |
Five-minutes of disciplined triage = hours saved tomorrow.
1 · When to triage§
- Micro-Triage – after you complete any card or stop a timer.
- Daily Triage – every weekday at 17 : 00 (Butler sends “⏰ Time to triage!” ping).
- Weekly Sweep – Friday 17 : 00 inside the Mini-Retro (RI-SOP-2 Step 2).
2 · The 5-Step Triage Flow (Do it top → bottom)§
| # | Decision question | Do this | Hot-key / Butler button | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is it actionable? (≠ FYI, ≠ duplicate) | If No → Archive now (or attach as comment on existing card). | C or Butler Duplicate → archive |
|
| 2 | Will it take ≤ 15 min and unblocks Q1? | If Yes → pull straight into Q1 Doing (counts against WIP ≤ 3). | 1 or drag |
|
| 3 | Is there a hard date within 7 days? | → Move to Q2 Scheduled and prefix title `Fri 17 : 15 | …`. | 2 or drag |
| 4 | Worth doing but no date / > 7 days? | → Drop in Q3 Backlog (right list). | 3 or drag |
|
| 5 | Stuck / missing info? | Label 🔴 Blocked, move to 🔴 Blocked / Escalate, run /alert. |
B then shift+ → list |
Triage mantra: “Keep Inbox empty & Q1 ≤ 3 – everything else is parking-lot or calendar.”
3 · Card hygiene cheatsheet§
| Field | Mandatory? | Rule (after triage) |
|---|---|---|
| Clear verb | ✅ | Start title with a verb: “Draft”, “Refactor”, “Send” |
| Link / Proof | ✅ | First line of description = link to source (doc, spec, chat) |
| Label(s) | 🔹 | 🟠 Ops, 🟢 Kaizen, 🟣 Learning, 🔴 Blocker etc. at least one |
| Estimate | 🔸 | If > 1 h, add ⌛ >1h label (helps weekly capacity check) |
| Owner | 🔸 | @mention yourself if multiple operators share the board |
4 · Typical Inbox items & where they land§
| Item example | Goes to… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “Please add line 12 to Ops Sheet before EOD” | Q1 Doing | ≤ 15 min, unblocks KPI dashboard |
| Google Calendar invite for client demo next Tuesday | Q2 Scheduled | Hard-dated within 7 days |
| Idea: “Colour-code KPI chart” | Q3 Backlog | Valuable but not urgent |
| Slack DM “Need decision from manager” (you’re blocked) | 🔴 Blocked | Can’t proceed → escalate with /alert |
| Newsletter FYI | Archive | Not actionable |
5 · “Zero Inbox” daily checklist ✔️§
- Inbox list is empty – no cards lurking below dividers.
- Q1 Doing ≤ 3 – if > 3, push the least-impact card back to Q3.
- Q2 cards ≤ 7 & dated – each prefixed
Wed 09 : 00 |. - Blocker list clear or escalated within last 15 min.
- Clockify has no running timer.
Tick these bullets directly in this card every evening for instant visual feedback.
6 · Coach prompts when stuck§
/tip triage– 3 golden rules (pull, date-prefix, 15-min test)./checklist daily-hygiene– recalls full end-of-day workflow./explain Eisenhower– refresher on Q1 / Q2 / Q3 logic.
7 · Beta gap policy 🧪§
If ANY link or label in this flow doesn’t match what you see:
- Ask Coach first (
/find label colours). - Still off? Post in #systems-kitchen with tag 🔴 Knowledge-Gap and attach a screenshot.
- Log 2 min timer
Setup:GapLogfor the report.
We patch docs within 24 h.
Remember: A clear Inbox tonight = a friction-free deep-work runway tomorrow morning. Seal it. Then clock-out 😌.