Task Ranking Matrix
Identify which task to automate first based on objective scoring
How It Works
Score each task you do repeatedly on 4 criteria (0-10 scale). The total tells you which tasks are best candidates for your first Agent Skills build.
1. Time Saved (0-10)
Question: How many hours per week does this take?
- 0-1 pts: Less than 1 hr/week
- 2-4 pts: 1-3 hrs/week
- 5-7 pts: 3-6 hrs/week
- 8-10 pts: 6+ hrs/week
2. Repetition (0-10)
Question: How often do I do this?
- 0-2 pts: Monthly or less
- 3-5 pts: Weekly
- 6-8 pts: 2-3x per week
- 9-10 pts: Daily+
3. Impact (0-10)
Question: How much does this matter?
- 0-2 pts: Nice to have
- 3-5 pts: Important
- 6-8 pts: High impact
- 9-10 pts: Mission-critical
4. Complexity (0-10)
Question: How easy to automate? (higher = easier)
- 0-2 pts: Very complex
- 3-5 pts: Moderately complex
- 6-8 pts: Simple
- 9-10 pts: Very simple
Your Tasks
Fill in your tasks below. Scores calculate automatically.
| Task Name | Time (0-10) | Repetition (0-10) | Impact (0-10) | Complexity (0-10) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||||
| → - | |||||
How to Interpret Your Scores
16-25 points: IDEAL FOR FIRST SKILL ⭐
Good balance of value and feasibility. Safe to experiment with. Will teach you the patterns.
26-35 points: High Value - Consider Carefully
If complexity is high (7-10): Go for it! If complexity is low (0-6): Save for second or third skill after learning the patterns.
0-15 points: Not Worth Automating Yet
Time investment won't pay off. Wait until task becomes more frequent or time-intensive.
36-40 points: Probably Too Important/Complex
These are mission-critical tasks. Start with something safer. Come back to these once you've learned the patterns.
The "Training Wheels" Strategy
Don't pick your highest-scoring task first.
Pick a task in the 20-30 range that's:
- ✅ Safe to experiment with (not mission-critical)
- ✅ Fast feedback (weekly or more frequent)
- ✅ Clear success criteria (you know what "good" looks like)
- ✅ Uses skills you can reuse (foundation patterns)
Example: Angela's Actual Ranking
| Task | Time | Rep | Impact | Complex | Total | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTR Newsletter | 9 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 25 | ✅ START HERE |
| PivotIntel Newsletter | 9 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 24 | Next (after UTR) |
| Data Gathering | 10 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 33 | Third (too complex first) |
| Wayback Archiving | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 27 | Fourth |
Why UTR (25 points) instead of Data Gathering (33 points)?
UTR was the better teacher—weekly cadence for fast iteration, clear standards, uses foundation skills that apply to other tasks. Data gathering was saved for when she had confidence from the first successful build.
Next Steps
- Fill out your matrix above
- Identify tasks in the 20-30 range
- Apply the "training wheels" filter
- Pick ONE task and commit
- Use Quick Start or Complete Guide to build it