---
name: plan-my-day
description: "Turn a messy to-do brain-dump into a realistic, time-blocked day — top priorities first, everything slotted with buffer, and an honest 'this won't all fit, cut these.' Use when asked to plan my day, time-block my schedule, help me organize today, or I have too much to do. Produces the top 3 priorities, a time-blocked schedule around your fixed commitments, a realistic cut list when it's overloaded, and an if-things-slip fallback — planning for the day you'll actually have."
---

# Plan My Day

Most day-planning fails because it's a wish, not a schedule — a list longer than the hours, with no priorities and no slack, so one delay collapses it. This turns the pile into a real plan: the two or three things that actually matter, blocked into the time you have around what's already fixed, with buffer for reality — and the honesty to say what won't fit so you cut it on purpose instead of by 5pm panic.

## What This Skill Produces

- **Top 3 priorities** — if the day goes sideways, these are what "a good day" means
- **The time-blocked schedule** — tasks slotted around fixed commitments, with buffer, matched to energy
- **The cut list** — what doesn't fit, named honestly, so overload is a choice not a failure
- **The slip plan** — if the morning runs late, what moves or drops first

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The brain-dump** — everything on your plate today (rough is fine)
- **Fixed points** — meetings, appointments, school run, hard deadlines
- **Hours & energy** — when you start/stop, and when you're sharp vs. foggy
- **What actually matters today** — if you're not sure, the skill will help you pick the top 3

## Framework: Plan the Day You'll Actually Have

1. **Priorities before slots.** Pick the 2–3 that matter before filling time, so the important isn't crowded out by the urgent.
2. **Anchor to fixed points.** Build around meetings/commitments first; free time is what's left, not what you wish.
3. **Match task to energy.** Hard/creative work in your sharp window; admin in the trough.
4. **Buffer is real work.** Leave slack between blocks — the plan with no gaps is the plan that breaks.
5. **Cut on purpose.** If the list exceeds the hours, say so and cut now — an honest cut beats a dishonest cram.
6. **Batch and single-task.** Group similar small tasks; protect one focus block from context-switching.

## Output Format

### Today — [available hours] · energy: [sharp when?]

**Top 3 (if nothing else): 1) … 2) … 3) …**

### The plan
| Time | Block | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00–9:30 | [fixed: standup] | |
| 9:30–11:00 | [priority 1 — deep work] | protect this |
| … | … | buffer |

### Won't fit today — cut or defer
- [task] → [tomorrow / delegate / drop]

### If you run late
- First to move: [x]. First to drop: [y].

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Top 3 priorities are named before the schedule is filled
- [ ] Blocks are built around the stated fixed commitments
- [ ] There is real buffer between blocks (not a seamless wall)
- [ ] Demanding tasks are placed in the stated high-energy window
- [ ] If the list exceeds the hours, an explicit cut list is given — no dishonest cramming
- [ ] A slip/fallback plan is included

## Anti-Patterns
- **A plan longer than the day** with no cuts — the classic setup for failure.
- **No buffer** — back-to-back blocks that one overrun destroys.
- **Ignoring energy** — scheduling the hardest task for the 3pm slump.
- **All-urgent, no-important** — a day of small fires and none of the top 3.
- **Pretending it all fits** instead of cutting honestly.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Plan my day — here's my to-do list and my meetings."
- "I have too much to do today, help me time-block it."
- "Organize my day around a 10am and a 2pm meeting."
- "Turn this brain-dump into a realistic schedule."
- "What should I actually get done today?"