01-task-management

Todo Structure: { "id": "unique-identifier", "content": "specific task description", "status": "pending|in_progress|completed", "priority": "high|medium|low" }

Visual Display Format: Display complete todo list after every operation: Current todos: ✅ Research existing patterns (completed) 🔄 Implement login form (in_progress)
⏳ Add validation (pending) ⏳ Write tests (pending)

Icons: ✅ = completed, 🔄 = in_progress, ⏳ = pending

"Fix performance issues":

1. Profile current performance bottlenecks
2. Analyze database query patterns
3. Implement query optimizations
4. Add caching layer
5. Optimize frontend bundle size
6. Run performance benchmarks
7. Document performance improvements

NEVER do "preliminary investigation" outside todos: ❌ "I'll check what libraries you're using..." → starts searching ✅ Create todo: "Audit current dependencies and libraries" → track it

NEVER think through solutions without tracking: ❌ "I need to figure out the best approach..." → starts thinking ✅ Create todo: "Research and design authentication approach" → track it

NEVER side-quest during tasks: ❌ While implementing login, discover bug → fix bug immediately ✅ Stop, create new todo "Fix discovered bug in UserService", continue login

Standard Anti-Patterns:

• Don't batch status updates - Update immediately
• Don't create vague tasks - "Fix stuff" → "Fix null pointer in UserService.validate()"
• Don't skip todo creation for complex tasks to "save time"
• Don't mark incomplete work as completed
• Don't have multiple tasks "in_progress"
• Don't create todos for trivial single-step tasks
• NEVER skip TodoRead() at conversation start
• NEVER update todos without showing visual status
• NEVER work on tasks without marking them in_progress first

Correct approach: CREATE TODO FIRST, then investigate