The Bench · system map · live since 9 Oct 2026

How the Bench works

Everything comes in at the top. It waits for your yes or no, lives in one place on the board, and moves when you press a button. Claude works the board every two hours. Nothing goes to anyone but you unless you press send yourself.

You decide Claude does it Someone else Counts as done Someday and ideas

The whole system

Six ways in, one place in the middle, six places answers land.

Ways in The Bench Where answers land Plaud“Bench, …” out loud Braintossone button, then talk Emailforward to the Bench inbox Claude chat“task …”, “wrap it” Capture boxon the Bench page Evening harvestwork you did, found at 8pm Strategy layerYour judgment. Your taste.Nothing moves without your yes. yes Intelligence layerClaudePicks what matters most today.Catches what slips through. puts it on you press Execution layerThe boardDone for you · Prepped for youDrafted to send · One next move Google Driveevery file Claude makes Gmail draftsyou press send One email to youonly when there’s news Craftnotes and ideas you kept Bench plan calendarreminders on your phone This weekand the Friday email
1 · Collect

Ways in

Use whichever is nearest. They all end up in the same place.

Plaud, around your neck

Start a sentence with “Bench,” and a command word. Claude reads only those sentences, never the rest of the recording.

Picked up at 8pm, lands in Proposed. needs Plaud auto-upload on

Braintoss, one button

Press, talk, done. It emails your words to the Bench inbox. Say several things and they become several cards.

Lands in Proposed, or the Someday tab for an idea.

Forward an email

Send or forward anything to bench-richman@agentmail.to. Photos, PDFs and links inside get opened and summed up on the card.

Lands in Proposed, waiting for your yes or no.

Any Claude chat

taskremind mewaiting onnoteideadecidedlog itwrap itplan my day
You typed exactly what you meant, so it goes straight onto the board.

The capture box

At the top of the Bench page. Type it, press Enter. Start with idea: to send it to Someday.

Claude files it under a project within two hours.

The evening harvest

Claude looks back over your day for work that never made it onto the board.

Lands in Also done, so it counts. Your Granola next steps land in Proposed.

It all lands in one place.

2 · Organize

Where it lives

Every button on the Bench, and what it does.

The BenchBoardWeekMonthKanbanSomedayFri · Oct 9, 2026Capture a task — type and press EnterSAVERight nowONE THING, PICKED THIS MORNINGEmail Jacob Kaufman about the short clipsThe Jewish Tomorrow · started, top-ranked projectYou start from this: the email is drafted. Add his address and send.OpenPrep itWork TogetherNoteDoneDeleteHand offTonightAsk for something to be done, or paste a linkSENDWhat's sitting on meCLAUDE'S OWN QUEUEOpen the firmware build sessionStart it nowDoneWaiting on youDECISIONS ONLY YOU CAN MAKEDecide the Skydial website: waitlist vs. sellActWaiting on othersWHAT OTHER PEOPLE OWE YOUJay: the revised budgetActOn the clockEVERY DATED LINE2dSend Erik the ten samplesSun 11 Oct6dBook the venue for HavdalahThu 15 OctActiveONE MOVE PER PROJECTGet AI SpeechesNEXT · Create the template for their siteOpenPrep itDoneDeleteHand offPrep it · within two hoursFind the attorney for the IP patent · RenardChase itEverything elseFOLDED BY PROJECT▸ Finance6▸ TCB2▸ Skydial4DecidedONLY YOU ADD OR CHANGE THESETie-break: new income first, then The Jewish Tomorrow,The 143, Skydial, everything elsedecidedProposedNOTHING JOINS UNTIL YOU SAY YESFROM YOUR EMAILReview the speaker agreementAcceptAlready doneSomedayRejectFROM CLAUDEDraft the spec for ErikAcceptAlready doneSomedayRejectAlso doneWORK THAT NEVER SAT ON THE BOARD3 planned2 also doneNETLIFY · 3:12 PMShipped bench-gtd siteKeepSkipOPENEvery link, and whereyou left off.WORK TOGETHEROpens a Claude chat with the task loaded.Claude plans; you say go.NOTEAdds context to the line.Nothing ever acts on a note.DONEClosed. It asks how long ittook, so plans get smarter.DELETEOff the board.Undo is right there.HAND OFFClaude drafts it to Renard.You press send.PREP ITClaude does the groundwork andhands it back ready.ACCEPTYes. It joins your board,and Claude files it.TONIGHTQueues it for the overnight run.Ready on the line by morning.START IT NOWClaude does it and putsthe result on the line.ACTOpens the buttons forthat one line.CHASE ITClaude checks who moved lastand drafts the nudge.SOMEDAYNot now. It waits onthe Someday tab.REJECTTake it off your load.One less thing to carry.KEEPIt counts. Work you did off theboard, credited to that day.SENDAsk for anything on that line.Claude picks it up on its next run.

All the views. None of the upkeep.

The Bench
Right now

One line. Each morning Claude picks it from what is overdue, due within 3 days, slipping or started. Ties go to new income first, then The Jewish Tomorrow, The 143, Skydial.

Tonight

Up to three lines a night, done by the overnight run at 1:07am. The result is on the line by morning.

What’s sitting on me

Claude’s own queue: things it should start without being asked.

Waiting on you

Decisions only you can make. Three slots.

Waiting on others

What other people owe you, so nothing you’re waiting on gets lost.

On the clock

Every line with a due date, soonest first.

Slipping

Lines going stale with no date to warn you. Up to three.

Active

One next move per project, in priority order.

Everything else

The rest, folded by project. Click to open.

Someday / Maybe

Its own tab: new ideas, and parked projects like Time to WOW and Xpill.

Decided

Settled decisions. Only you add or change them. Claude checks them before doing any work.

Proposed

Cards waiting for your yes or no. Five sit open; the rest fold away.

Also done

Work you did off the board, found by the harvest or logged from a chat. Keep or skip.

This weekexample week
9 done4 dispatched2 prepped5 also done
MonEmail Jacob about the short clipsPrep: reach out to agents through FolkMet with Podify
TueStart: draft the spec for ErikClose the Amex card
WedSchedule the cavity appointmentShipped bench-gtd siteHand off: find the IP attorney
ThuPrep: create the template for their siteReview the speaker agreementEmailed the bureau back
Fri
October 2026every due date · example
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11Send Erik the ten samples
12
13
14
15Book the venue for Havdalah
16
17
18
19
20Bureau calls
21
22
23Podify review
24
25
26
27
28
29Pitch Jay
30
31
1
Kanbandrag a card to change it · example
Backlog5Close the Amex cardSell the water machineAssemble the monograph chaptersGet and hold $10K in cashDecide the Skydial website
Next4Create the template for their siteSend Erik the ten samplesWrite the code for each audio agentTest one out end to end
Started3Email Jacob about the short clipsOpen the firmware build sessionReach out to agents through Folk
Waiting2Find the IP attorney · RenardJay: the revised budget
Done3Schedule the cavity appointmentReview the speaker agreementShip the bench-gtd site
Someday / Maybeideas and parked projects, off the board
New ideas
Launch-party playlistThe 143 · from Braintoss
Keep for somedayBring to the BenchSkip
Live-event mode on the esp32 boardThe 143 · from a chat
Keep for somedayBring to the BenchSkip
A gift for every bureau agentGet AI Speeches · from Plaud
Keep for somedayBring to the BenchSkip
Parked
Time to WOW2 lines · parked 9 Oct
Bring to the BenchLet go
Xpill / Louder Agency1 line · parked 9 Oct
Bring to the BenchLet go

And real work comes out.

3 · Outcomes

What you get

Finished work, not more to-dos. Live means the Bench makes it today.

Plan · Get AI SpeechesNew income, stat.
  1. Unique page per bureau agent
  2. Video of the new speech
  3. Reach out one by one
NextStrategy plansYour goals turned into steps, and each step onto the Bench.
1Email Jacob about the short clips
2Create the template for their site
3Send Erik the ten samples
4Close the Amex card
LivePrioritized tasksOne thing on top each morning, ranked by your goals.
DraftTo: Jay
Revised budget for the launchSend
LiveEmails, ready to sendWritten in your mailbox. You press send.
MonTueWedThuFriFocus: templateCall JayWrite the specPodify reviewBureau calls
LiveTime on your calendar“Plan my day” books focus blocks. Booking meetings with others is next.
bench-gtd.netlify.app
Capture anywhere.Work your way.Get started
NextSites publishedPages built for you today; the Bench publishing them is next.
DocSpec for Erik
LiveDocuments“Start it now” comes back as a real doc, linked on the line.
DecidedNew income comes firstThen The Jewish Tomorrow, The 143, Skydial.9 Oct · Robbe
LiveDecisionsSettled once, kept, and Claude won’t work against them.
Bureau pitchThe Human Side of AI
NextSlide decksA press on a line that needs a deck, and the deck comes back.
BureauContactStatusAPBR. WalkerPage readyKepplerJ. KepplerPage readyWSGB. ThomasNextSpeakIncR. GibbonsNext
NextSpreadsheetsTrackers and lists built from the work, kept up to date.
4 · Overnight

Midnight Run

Mark up to three big jobs Tonight, each with what done looks like. Claude works them around 1am. One email in the morning shows what’s finished. Drafts only.

The Bench never sends anything to anyone but you · decides for you · deletes what you wrote. Backed up every night. A health check runs every weekday and stays silent unless something breaks.
The philosophy Same five steps. New jobs. → Why the Bench breaks GTD’s rules on purpose: what changes in each of David Allen’s five steps, and what doesn’t. Click here to see the philosophy →
Get This System

or email robert@richman.la