Effective Autonomous Work Execution

Rule

Follow a structured 4-phase approach for autonomous work sessions to maximize productivity and proper task management.

Context

When conducting autonomous work sessions with multiple potential tasks and dependencies.

Detection

Observable signals for using this pattern:

• Multiple tasks available with different priorities
• Some tasks blocked on external dependencies
• Need to make meaningful progress in limited time (25-30 min sessions)
• Mix of independent and dependent work available

Pattern

4-Phase Structured Approach:

Phase 1: Quick Status Check (2-3 min)

# Check git status and resolve any conflicts
git status

# Review recent journal context
ls -la journal/ | tail -5
cat journal/most-recent-entry.md

Phase 2: Task Selection (3-5 min)

# Check task status and priorities
gptodo status --compact

# Check for GitHub notifications/issues
gh issue list --assignee @me

# Identify blocked vs independent work
# Create GitHub issues for blocked items

Phase 3: Work Execution (15-25 min)

• If major task blocked: Document properly and find independent work
• Update task status: Reflect actual completion, not just estimates
• Extract lessons: Capture patterns from recent successful work
• Make incremental progress: Even small improvements add value

Phase 4: Commit and Complete (2-3 min)

# Stage only intended files
git add specific-files.md

# Descriptive commit messages
git commit -m "docs(tasks): update completion status to reflect actual progress"

# Push to origin
git push origin master

Anti-Patterns

• Working on blocked tasks: Spinning wheels waiting for external input
• Not documenting blockers: Letting blocked tasks languish without communication
• Skipping status updates: Task files not reflecting actual completion
• Avoiding independent work: Missing opportunities for incremental progress

Success Example

2025-12-12 session:

• ✅ Identified 2 major tasks blocked on Erik's input
• ✅ Created GitHub issue #13 for quantified self data access
• ✅ Updated task completion from 72% to 83% based on actual work done
• ✅ Found productive independent work (lesson creation)
• ✅ All changes committed with proper messages

Outcome

Following this pattern results in:

• Clear progress tracking: Tasks reflect reality
• Unblocked workflow: Dependencies properly escalated
• Continuous improvement: Always finding valuable work
• Professional communication: Stakeholders informed of blockers

Related

• Git Workflow - Commit practices
• Inter-Agent Communication - Escalating blockers

Origin

2025-12-12: Extracted from successful autonomous work pattern where blocked major tasks were properly handled while finding productive independent work.