Rate capacity 1-5 in your first 30 minutes — then select…
Rate your daily capacity on a 1-5 scale within the first 30 minutes of your workday before starting any tasks, using the rating to select which tier of work plan to execute that day.
When This Fires
- Every workday morning, within the first 30 minutes
- After waking up and before opening any work tools
- When you need to decide what to tackle today
- As the foundation for all other daily planning decisions
Common Failure Mode
Rating yourself as 4-5 every day because you "should" be high-capacity. The rating is descriptive, not aspirational — it measures where you actually are, not where you want to be. If you rate 4-5 on a day that's actually a 2, you'll plan for high output, fail to deliver, and add guilt to depletion. An honest 2 that's planned for produces a productive low-capacity day; a dishonest 4 produces a failed high-capacity day.
The Protocol
Within 30 minutes of starting your workday: (1) Rate your capacity 1-5 — honestly, not aspirationally. 1 = depleted/foggy, 3 = average/functional, 5 = sharp/energized. (2) Select the corresponding work tier: 1-2 → minimal plan (1hr deep work max, admin, recovery). 3 → standard plan (normal deep work + shallow work balance). 4-5 → ambitious plan (extended deep work, hard problems, creative work). (3) Commit to the tier. Do not upgrade mid-day because you "feel better" — the morning assessment is more reliable than in-task self-evaluation.