Weekly Planner July 21-27, 2025
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Weekly Big 3
1. Complete feedback round and share wireframe walkthrough video—to leverage fresh input from TTT/community before Friday meetings.
2. Connect with Jess Early (and Jeremie)—schedule/hold conversations & clarify next steps for article/project contributions.
3. Maintain daily runs in East Quogue (Tues-Thurs) as planned—safeguard energy for Friday’s stacked meetings and creative reset over the weekend.
Template
MONDAY
- Final work on wireframe - getting ready forprep wireframe video
- Hour meet up with Bonnee RE: personal project to model inquiry workshops
- Finish Reflections and Set up meetings on Friday.
TUESDAY
- Morning run in East Quogue.
- “Micro” project check-in (15 min on phone/laptop).
- Low-key social time/friend connection.
WEDNESDAY
- Morning run in East Quogue.
- If energy allows, jot ideas for Friday meetings or quick email to Jeremie/Jess Early.
- Enjoy downtime—no pressure!
THURSDAY
- Final morning run in East Quogue.
- Pack up and/or travel back—process insights from friend time/runs during journey home.
FRIDAY
- 10am: Meeting with Mark Dziedzic
- 1pm: Conversation with Jess Early
- Reach out to Jeremie about writing/doc development
- Review feedback from TTT/wireframe share & next steps
SATURDAY / SUNDAY
- Unstructured rest/creative catch-up as desired
- Reflect on week’s progress; set intentions for upcoming week
Last Weeks Big 3
1.Revise wireframe for more feedback on Wednesday’s TTT: include updates on Teacher Dashboard, polished version of landing page, prototype of what happens when a Writing Partner is engaged.
2.Write into Jessica Early’s Doc on AI and YAWP https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ENMRLE8p6ENNcHX_CoXGLY7ag-zdHO9rfuGulbypEQ/edit?usp=sharing
3.Get the word out (writing, Blusky, with Chris Sloan) about the repository and the use of it with simulators for inquiry.
Monday 07/21/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
- Final work on wireframe – getting ready forprep wireframe video
- Hour meet up with Bonnee RE: personal project to model inquiry workshops
- Finish Reflections and Set up meetings on Friday.
Tuesday 07/22/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
Writing Partners.
Author 3 was a NYC public school English teacher for 31 years, and is currently a consultant for the New York City Writing Project and the National Writing Project and the Project Director of Writing Partners (2024), a social annotation platform that supports AI-guided writing and learning. He also facilitates a weekly online meetup, Teachers Teaching Teachers (TTT), where a community of educators explore the theory and practice of connected learning, project-based inquiry, reading and writing online, digital discourse, and now AI. The AI assistants that students used in the summer writing camp described in this article were developed in a series of meetups that Paul facilitated with the other two authors of this article and dozens of other educators from around the country. These teachers used prompt engineering to develop, test, and revise AI assistants that are based on the research and workshop designs of Professors Jessica Singer Early and Meredith DeCosta, especially Chapter 4 of Real World Writing. This is one example of how at TTT, educators bring together research, curriculum, and current thinking about technology and AI. Over a couple of months of meeting together, the educators on Teachers Teaching Teachers developed AI Writing Partners to support students as they draft, share, revise, and edit their admissions essays.
Wednesday 07/23/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
2. Set up Kumospace for TTT tonight and get an announcement up on the NWP Studio.
Thursday 07/24/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
Friday 07/25/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
1. Show student composing college admissions essay and using Writing Partners Lead Tutor.
2. Go behind the screen to show how we created this tutor using Jess Early’s research and workshop ideas and read through the script.
3. Ask participants to write: What’s an activity, a project, a unit… that you can imagine having another teacher around to give your students support on their writing?
4. Let’s turn your description into a script for an AI assistant or Writing Partner or Tutor: Persona, Purpose, Process, Product.
5. Turn and read… in twos, then to whole group.
6. Offer to turn any of these scripts into Writing Partners on our site on Wednesday evening at TTT (7:00 Central) or another time that works better for you.
Saturday 07/26/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
1. Pickleball training session
2. Significant changes to the wireframe that David and I had consensus on.
3. Reading — more about AI in ED in an odd article that is often cited.
4. I created a Jemes Moffett simulator today — and it is amazing… worth more exploration!
You’re asking about whether a user-friendly interface for adding AI Writing Partners from a side menu will truly empower users and add value across your three main workspaces. Let me jump right into this: if you’ve made it easy, discoverable, and—most importantly—*useful* for the user’s real goals, then you’re on the right track! But the magic isn’t just in “user-friendly” or even “empowering.” The real win happens when users feel like choosing a Writing Partner actually makes them more capable or creative in ways that matter to them, not just to your product team.
Think of this filter not as just another feature, but as a lever that lets users change their own experience—almost like giving them access to different teachers or mentors at their fingertips. If each AI Writing Partner unlocks unique perspectives or skills (e.g., one helps with clarity, another with creativity), and these are clearly communicated, then you’re offering something beyond mere preference settings: you’re helping users become more badass writers by letting them experiment, learn faster, and get unstuck. The interface is successful if users can say after using it: “Wow, I’m able to do something now I couldn’t before,” not just “I found all the buttons.”
Here are three rapid-fire areas where you could focus next:
Showcase Results Instantly: Make sure when someone selects a Writing Partner from the menu, they immediately see how it changes their workflow or output—like an instant before/after comparison in each workspace. This gives immediate feedback and builds trust in the feature. ✅
Connect Choices to User Goals: Help users pick partners based on what they want to achieve (“Do you want help brainstorming? Editing? Sounding more confident?”). Don’t force them to guess what each partner does—guide them! ✅
Track Progress & Delight: Give subtle encouragement when people use different partners effectively (“Looks like switching partners helped clarify your draft!”), reinforcing that their choices are making them better—not just changing settings. ✅
Which path do you want to dig into? Or do you have another angle burning in your brain? Hit Your Thoughts, tell me which path (or paths!) spark your curiosity most—and after saving your reply, hit Continue with AI so we can keep building awesome together!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like me.
Want more inspiration? Dive into my interview with Valeria Maltoni or check out my book excerpt for deep dives on empowering users through design!
Thank you for the “DAILY WIN” shout-out—honestly, that’s the spirit I want every user to feel after interacting with a tool or interface: like they’ve just scored a personal victory, not just checked a box! When we talk about moments of success in design, it’s not about making users grateful for our clever features—it’s about them noticing real progress in their own work or creativity. That’s what transforms an ordinary interaction into a “daily win.”
If you keep anchoring your design on those little “I did it!” moments (not just “the app worked”), you’re shifting from product-centered to user-centered awesomeness. It’s a subtle but crucial distinction: tools should disappear into the background, and the spotlight should land on what people achieve because of your experience.
Ready to take this further? Here are three directions where we could push these “daily wins” even more:
Micro-moments of Mastery: How can your interface surface small but meaningful milestones (“You finished your first draft with zero blocks!”) that make users pause and smile? ✅
Visible Progress Maps: What if users could see a visual map or timeline of their daily wins—turning accomplishments into motivation fuel? ✅
User-Led Celebrations: Could you let users customize how they celebrate their own wins—a badge, note, or shareable moment—to reinforce ownership over progress? ✅
What excites you most—micro-wins, progress mapping, celebrations—or something else entirely? Hit Your Thoughts, pick your path (or suggest another!), save it, then hit Continue with AI and let’s co-design something legendary!
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like me.
For more juicy strategies on designing for user victories (big and small), check out my interview with Valeria Maltoni or flip through my book excerpt—fuel for anyone obsessed with making users awesome!
Sunday 07/27/2025
Morning Ritual | Workday Startup Ritual | Workday Shutdown Ritual | Evening Ritual
Morning: 4 miles by 11:00
Afternoon: 4 miles by 3:00
Evening: 4 miles by 7:00
I have been collecting a diverse array of views on loneliness or being alone:
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyo…
www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202…
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202…
open.substack.com/pub/escaping…
I am reading around what my question might be, circling around.— Paul Allison (@paulallison.bsky.social) July 27, 2025 at 10:05 AM
DAILY BIG 3 List your 3 most important tasks.
1. Reflection and planning my week
2. Work on slides — key content is there, but it’s not legible — and lots of ideas for adding images…
3. Can’t resist the Moffett simulator.
AFTER-ACTION REVIEW
Let’s start with your wins for the week, since you mentioned it has been a mix of travel and important work.
Thinking about your travels and the key pieces of work you managed to accomplish, what are the 3-5 biggest wins from this past week? These could be professional achievements, personal milestones, or moments where you felt particularly proud or productive.
What stands out to you as your most significant accomplishments from this traveling-with-friends week?
Would you like to continue?
You listed your wins for this week as moving things forward with the Loveable wireframe, starting meaningful connections and thinking for the simulator inquiry, and successfully making a video walkthrough. Those are concrete accomplishments and it sounds like you took clear steps on each project.
Reflecting on these wins—especially bringing your wireframe to a “design-ready” place, opening up new connections with simulators, and producing a video—what about these made you feel most accomplished or energized? Is there one that felt more challenging or rewarding than the others?
It can help to dig into what about these experiences stood out when reviewing your week. Would you like to share more about how these specific wins impacted you or your projects?
Would you like to continue?
Let’s talk about how far you got on your Weekly Big 3. For each of the three main goals you set for yourself, could you share what percentage complete you feel you are? For example, if one was “Finalize the Loveable wireframe,” do you feel you’re at 80%, or maybe even closer to done? List each goal and give it a rough completion percentage.
Here’s a simple way to structure it:
— Goal #1 (name): ___% complete
— Goal #2 (name): ___% complete
— Goal #3 (name): ___% complete
What progress did you make on your Weekly Big 3 this week?
Would you like to continue?
You’ve already listed your Weekly Big 3 with percentages, so let’s review:
1. Complete feedback round and share wireframe walkthrough video—to leverage fresh input from TTT/community before Friday meetings. 80% complete
2. Connect with Jess Early (and Jeremie)—schedule/hold conversations & clarify next steps for article/project contributions. 50% complete
3. Maintain daily runs in East Quogue (Tues-Thurs) as planned—safeguard energy for Friday’s stacked meetings and creative reset over the weekend. 30% complete
You’ve made strong progress on the wireframe/video goal, are halfway there on connecting with Jess/Jeremie, and you’re getting back into your running routine after some travel disruptions.
How do you feel about these completion percentages? Were there specific factors—like travel or shifting priorities—that affected your momentum on any of these? Was it easier to make headway on certain goals than others this week?
Would you like to continue?
Great job getting to this point in your review. Now, let’s dig into what worked well for you this week and what didn’t. Thinking about your Weekly Big 3 (and the other projects or commitments on your plate), which actions or approaches really moved things forward? What strategies helped you get traction or stay on track?
On the flip side, where did you run into obstacles or notice things not going as planned? Was it a matter of time, energy, coordination with others—or something else? Most importantly: why do you think these particular approaches succeeded or fell short?
Looking at your unique situation last week—balancing travel, creative work, and relationship-building—what worked best and what didn’t serve you as well?
Would you like to continue?
You mentioned that you set yourself up well this week, with a clear path forward—and that intentional solo creative work (like the script and slide deck) helped prepare you for more social collaboration next. You also pointed out how your experiments with simulators and observing colleagues contributed to your progress, but now those insights need to be translated into concrete workshops.
Let me recap what I’m hearing from you about what worked:
- Leaning into solo deep work (video script, slide deck) gave shape and direction to upcoming projects.
- Hands-on experimentation and reflecting on peers’ approaches paid off in new ideas.
- Having clarity in your next steps made the workload feel manageable, even after travel.
For what didn’t work as well:
- It sounds like some of the business-side tasks may have lagged behind—and perhaps travel or shifting focus away from “the business side” got in the way of full momentum there.
Why do you think the intentional solo work felt so productive? And looking at the business side—what seems to get deprioritized or pushed aside when creativity takes center stage? How might you balance both moving forward?
Would you like to continue?
Now let’s look ahead. Based on what you learned about what worked and what didn’t, which systems or habits will you continue—and what might you change up for next week? For example, do you want to block more time for creative flow, or put intentional checkpoints in place for business tasks?
What specific actions or routines will you continue doing because they served you well? Are there any adjustments you’re planning to make so that both your creative and business sides get the attention they deserve next week?
Thinking about your balance between creativity and business (which is so important to your question), how will you tweak your approach to keep both moving forward?
Would you like to continue?
GOAL REVIEW & LIST SWEEP
Now that you’ve reflected on your wins and lessons, it’s time for a quick calibration. Let’s do a review of your current goals, delegated and deferred tasks, daily notes, and your task manager.
Start by listing out any big-picture goals you’re tracking right now—side hustle, running streak, creative projects—and note where each stands. Then check for any tasks or responsibilities you’ve delegated or put off (deferred) to another week. Finally, scan through your daily notes or journal entries for insights or ideas worth capturing.
With all that in mind, update your main task manager so it actually reflects what matters most this coming week.
What does a quick sweep of your goals and lists reveal? Are there outdated items to cross off or new actions to add? Any surprises as you look at the big picture?
Would you like to continue?
You’ve taken a hard look at your goals and lists, and it sounds like you’re starting to see where certain projects, habits, or next actions need more attention. You mentioned contracts and outreach as things that need to get back on your schedule—those are both foundational for keeping momentum on the business side of your question.
When you do this kind of list sweep, do you find that some tasks hang around longer than they should? Are there responsibilities you’ve delegated or deferred too many times? Sometimes noticing these repeat “carry-overs” can show where bottlenecks—or maybe resistance—live.
How does seeing everything in black-and-white help clarify what you actually want to focus on next week? Does anything surprise you as you look across goals, daily notes, and the task manager all at once?
Would you like to continue?
STREAKTRACKER
Next up, let’s track your habit-goal progress. Think about any habits you’re working to build or maintain—like running, daily creative sprints, outreach routines, or even taking time for rest.
For each habit goal, rate your consistency this week on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 7 (hit every day). Here’s an example layout:
— Daily running: ___/7
— Morning deep work block: ___/7
— End-of-day business review: ___/7
— Outreach (DM/email): ___/7
— Reflective journaling/planning: ___/7
Feel free to add any additional streaks relevant to your question.
How did your streaks go this week? Where did you nail it—and where do you see room for improvement?
Would you like to continue?
Thanks for sharing your streak tracker results for the week:
- Daily running: 2/7
- Morning deep work block: 3/7
- End-of-day business review: 3/7
- Outreach (DM/email): 2/7
- Reflective journaling/planning: 3/7
When you look at these numbers, it’s clear that you’re consistently showing up for some habits—even with a challenging schedule and travel in play. You’ve carved out time for deep work and reflection about half the days, and managed to keep moving on outreach and running even while on the go.
Reflecting honestly on your habit consistency, what patterns do you notice? For example, do certain habits tend to slip when things get busy or you’re traveling? Are there anchor routines or triggers that help you protect your streaks better?
Of all your tracked habits this week, which one felt easiest to show up for—and which one required more intention or push from yourself? How do these observations inform what you want to adjust (or double down on) next week regarding your question of balancing creative energy with business discipline?
Would you like to continue?
REJUVENATION
Let’s pivot from productivity to personal sustainability. For your next week—especially as you aim to rebalance creativity with business outreach—what are three ways you could sleep, eat, move, connect, or relax a bit better? These might include things like setting a tech cutoff before bed, planning healthier meals during work sprints, scheduling movement breaks between meetings, making intentional connection time with friends/family, or even giving yourself permission for guilt-free downtime.
Jot down three realistic rejuvenation actions that will help support your energy and focus. Then consider when (and how) you’ll make these happen in the week ahead.
What are three small changes you can make next week to recharge and show up at your best for both creative and business tasks?
Would you like to continue?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on rejuvenation. It’s clear you’re looking to bridge the gap between creative momentum and business outreach by giving yourself a stronger foundation—smart move!
Let’s pause here to unpack a bit. When you think about how better sleep, nourishing food, regular movement, or intentional connection could help your creativity and business energy, what stands out most as a game changer for you? Is there one rejuvenation habit you’re especially excited (or maybe a little nervous) to implement next week?
What time of day or context do you imagine these practices fitting in best—early morning, midday reset, or evening wind-down? The more specific you can get now about where they “live” in your routine, the less likely they’ll fall off when things get busy.
Would you like to continue?
WEEKLY OVERVIEW
Now it’s time to take everything you’ve learned from your after-action review, habit tracker, and rejuvenation plan and look at the week ahead. Let’s map out your upcoming events, key projects that demand real focus, top tasks you want to clear from your list, and any other commitments (including rest or connection time!) that are important to your question of balancing creativity with business discipline.
What does your calendar or planner show for the next seven days? Are there meetings, deadlines, creative blocks of time—or non-negotiable appointments for renewal—that you want to make sure stay on your radar?
By getting it all down in front of you now—before the week starts—you’re setting yourself up to be proactive instead of reactive.
What are the must-do events, project milestones, or personal commitments on deck for this coming week?
Would you like to continue?
You’ve got a well-mapped week ahead, and I appreciate how intentionally you’re stacking your meetings (Monday–Thursday) with Friday as a travel/reset day. Here’s what I’m seeing based on your share:
- Monday Noon – Joan Ganz Cooney Center Sandbox for Literacy Innovations
- Tuesday Noon – Teaching Writing in the Age Of ChatGPT Symposium Day
- Wednesday 7:00 – UCI AI in Education Certificate Program Info Session
8:00 – TTT
- Thursday 1:00 – Article co-writing with Jess Early
- Friday – Travel (and likely creative reset)
Alongside these, you want to carve out solo creative work—like prepping slide decks or scripts—to really show up at your best for each intentional meeting.
As you look at this week’s full landscape—meetings, travel, and solo prep—what feels like the biggest opportunity to align creative energy with business focus? Are there windows where you can both recharge (especially around travel) and move outreach/business actions forward?
Do any of these events or projects feel especially high-stakes or energizing to you given your current goals?
Would you like to continue?
WEEKLY BIG 3
Now, drawing from your goals, upcoming commitments, and the balance you want between creativity and business discipline, let’s anchor your focus for the week ahead. Pick three clear objectives—your “Weekly Big 3”—that will move the needle most on what matters to you.
These can be a mix of project milestones (like making progress on your teacher workshop series), relationship moves (such as outreach or collaboration), and personal anchors (like sticking with a movement or rejuvenation habit). Don’t try to do everything—instead, zero in on what will create real momentum in both creative and business areas.
What are your top three priorities for this upcoming week? List them out specifically:
— Weekly Big 1:
— Weekly Big 2:
— Weekly Big 3:
Would you like to continue?
You’ve just outlined your Weekly Big 3, which will shape the arc of your week—great work! Here’s what I see from you:
- Weekly Big 1: Refine slide deck and design at least one testable workshop segment to share at Tuesday’s session—then follow up with Chris, Bonnee, and others (TTT?).
- Weekly Big 2: Restart daily micro-outreach and contract progress. Take a step every day—even small.
- Weekly Big 3: Move forward on Simulator and Inquiry workshop development. Sketch out core activities or frameworks by Thursday.
These are clear and actionable priorities that touch both creative content (the workshops), relationship/business growth (outreach/contracts), and ongoing product development (simulators/inquiry).
Which of these feels like it will require the most focus or present the biggest challenge as you move through your busy meeting/travel schedule? Are there any that feel especially energizing—or perhaps ones where you anticipate needing extra accountability?
Looking at these three objectives in relation to all your appointments, where do you see natural opportunities for progress—and where might you need to carve out intentional time so nothing gets sidelined?
Would you like to continue?
WEEKLY PLANNER
Let’s take all the reflection and prioritization you’ve done, and map your intentions onto the week—day by day. This is where strategy becomes reality! By sketching out your must-dos, creative blocks, outreach moments, and recharge windows for each day, you’ll give yourself the best shot at balancing creativity with business discipline through a full schedule.
Here’s a suggested structure (feel free to fill in specific details or tweak as needed):
MONDAY:
• Noon – Joan Ganz Cooney Center Sandbox for Literacy Innovations
• Morning deep work/prep block (refine slides)
• Micro-outreach/contract follow-up
TUESDAY:
• Noon – Teaching Writing in the Age Of ChatGPT Symposium Day
• Share testable workshop segment
• Micro-outreach/contract step
WEDNESDAY:
• AM creative work on Simulator/Inquiry frameworks
• 7:00 PM – UCI AI in Ed Info Session
• 8:00 PM – TTT
THURSDAY:
• 1:00 PM – Article co-writing with Jess Early
• Workshop/dev sketching (wrap core activities by EOD)
FRIDAY:
• Travel & Creative Reset
SATURDAY/SUNDAY:
• Movement/rejuvenation focus
• Reflective journaling/planning for next week
Where will you lock in those non-negotiables like outreach touchpoints or intentional movement? Any flex time you want to preserve for unexpected inspiration or deep rest?
Would you like to see more?
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