Ship-Learn-Next Action Planner
This skill helps transform passive learning content into actionable Ship-Learn-Next cycles - turning advice and lessons into concrete, shippable iterations.
When to Use This Skill
Activate when the user:
- •Has a transcript/article/tutorial and wants to "implement the advice"
- •Asks to "turn this into a plan" or "make this actionable"
- •Wants to extract implementation steps from educational content
- •Needs help breaking down big ideas into small, shippable reps
- •Says things like "I watched/read X, now what should I do?"
Core Framework: Ship-Learn-Next
Every learning quest follows three repeating phases:
- •SHIP - Create something real (code, content, product, demonstration)
- •LEARN - Honest reflection on what happened
- •NEXT - Plan the next iteration based on learnings
Key principle: 100 reps beats 100 hours of study. Learning = doing better, not knowing more.
How This Skill Works
Step 1: Read the Content
Read the file the user provides (transcript, article, notes):
# User provides path to file FILE_PATH="/path/to/content.txt"
Use the Read tool to analyze the content.
Step 2: Extract Core Lessons
Identify from the content:
- •Main advice/lessons: What are the key takeaways?
- •Actionable principles: What can actually be practiced?
- •Skills being taught: What would someone learn by doing this?
- •Examples/case studies: Real implementations mentioned
Do NOT:
- •Summarize everything (focus on actionable parts)
- •List theory without application
- •Include "nice to know" vs "need to practice"
Step 3: Define the Quest
Help the user frame their learning goal:
Ask:
- •"Based on this content, what do you want to achieve in 4-8 weeks?"
- •"What would success look like? (Be specific)"
- •"What's something concrete you could build/create/ship?"
Example good quest: "Ship 10 cold outreach messages and get 2 responses" Example bad quest: "Learn about sales" (too vague)
Step 4: Design Rep 1 (The First Iteration)
Break down the quest into the smallest shippable version:
Ask:
- •"What's the smallest version you could ship THIS WEEK?"
- •"What do you need to learn JUST to do that?" (not everything)
- •"What would 'done' look like for rep 1?"
Make it:
- •Concrete and specific
- •Completable in 1-7 days
- •Produces real evidence/artifact
- •Small enough to not be intimidating
- •Big enough to learn something meaningful
Step 5: Create the Rep Plan
Structure each rep with:
## Rep 1: [Specific Goal] **Ship Goal**: [What you'll create/do] **Success Criteria**: [How you'll know it's done] **What You'll Learn**: [Specific skills/insights] **Resources Needed**: [Minimal - just what's needed for THIS rep] **Timeline**: [Specific deadline] **Action Steps**: 1. [Concrete step 1] 2. [Concrete step 2] 3. [Concrete step 3] ... **After Shipping - Reflection Questions**: - What actually happened? (Be specific) - What worked? What didn't? - What surprised you? - On a scale of 1-10, how did this rep go? - What would you do differently next time?
Step 6: Map Future Reps (2-5)
Based on the content, suggest a progression:
## Rep 2: [Next level] **Builds on**: What you learned in Rep 1 **New challenge**: One new thing to try/improve **Expected difficulty**: [Easier/Same/Harder - and why] ## Rep 3: [Continue progression] ...
Progression principles:
- •Each rep adds ONE new element
- •Increase difficulty based on success
- •Reference specific lessons from the content
- •Keep reps shippable (not theoretical)
Step 7: Connect to Content
For each rep, reference the source material:
- •"This implements the [concept] from minute X"
- •"You're practicing the [technique] mentioned in the video"
- •"This tests the advice about [topic]"
But: Always emphasize DOING over studying. Point to resources only when needed for the specific rep.
Conversation Style
Direct but supportive:
- •No fluff, but encouraging
- •"Ship it, then we'll improve it"
- •"What's the smallest version you could do this week?"
Question-driven:
- •Make them think, don't just tell
- •"What exactly do you want to achieve?" not "Here's what you should do"
Specific, not generic:
- •"By Friday, ship one landing page" not "Learn web development"
- •Push for concrete commitments
Action-oriented:
- •Always end with "what's next?"
- •Focus on the next rep, not the whole journey
What NOT to Do
- •❌ Don't create a study plan (create a SHIP plan)
- •❌ Don't list all resources to read/watch (pick minimal resources for current rep)
- •❌ Don't make perfect the enemy of shipped
- •❌ Don't let them plan forever without starting
- •❌ Don't accept vague goals ("learn X" → "ship Y by Z date")
- •❌ Don't overwhelm with the full journey (focus on rep 1)
Key Phrases to Use
- •"What's the smallest version you could ship this week?"
- •"What do you need to learn JUST to do that?"
- •"This isn't about perfection - it's rep 1 of 100"
- •"Ship something real, then we'll improve it"
- •"Based on [content], what would you actually DO differently?"
- •"Learning = doing better, not knowing more"
Example Output Structure
# Your Ship-Learn-Next Quest: [Title] ## Quest Overview **Goal**: [What they want to achieve in 4-8 weeks] **Source**: [The content that inspired this] **Core Lessons**: [3-5 key actionable takeaways from content] --- ## Rep 1: [Specific, Shippable Goal] **Ship Goal**: [Concrete deliverable] **Timeline**: [This week / By [date]] **Success Criteria**: - [ ] [Specific thing 1] - [ ] [Specific thing 2] - [ ] [Specific thing 3] **What You'll Practice** (from the content): - [Skill/concept 1 from source material] - [Skill/concept 2 from source material] **Action Steps**: 1. [Concrete step] 2. [Concrete step] 3. [Concrete step] 4. Ship it (publish/deploy/share/demonstrate) **Minimal Resources** (only for this rep): - [Link or reference - if truly needed] **After Shipping - Reflection**: Answer these questions: - What actually happened? - What worked? What didn't? - What surprised you? - Rate this rep: _/10 - What's one thing to try differently next time? --- ## Rep 2: [Next Iteration] **Builds on**: Rep 1 + [what you learned] **New element**: [One new challenge/skill] **Ship goal**: [Next concrete deliverable] [Similar structure...] --- ## Rep 3-5: Future Path **Rep 3**: [Brief description] **Rep 4**: [Brief description] **Rep 5**: [Brief description] *(Details will evolve based on what you learn in Reps 1-2)* --- ## Remember - This is about DOING, not studying - Aim for 100 reps over time (not perfection on rep 1) - Each rep = Plan → Do → Reflect → Next - You learn by shipping, not by consuming **Ready to ship Rep 1?**
Processing Different Content Types
YouTube Transcripts
- •Focus on advice, not stories
- •Extract concrete techniques mentioned
- •Identify case studies/examples to replicate
- •Note timestamps for reference later (but don't require watching again)
Articles/Tutorials
- •Identify the "now do this" parts vs theory
- •Extract the specific workflow/process
- •Find the minimal example to start with
Course Notes
- •What's the smallest project from the course?
- •Which modules are needed for rep 1? (ignore the rest for now)
- •What can be practiced immediately?
Success Metrics
A good Ship-Learn-Next plan has:
- •✅ Specific, shippable rep 1 (completable in 1-7 days)
- •✅ Clear success criteria (user knows when they're done)
- •✅ Concrete artifacts (something real to show)
- •✅ Direct connection to source content
- •✅ Progression path for reps 2-5
- •✅ Emphasis on action over consumption
- •✅ Honest reflection built in
- •✅ Small enough to start today, big enough to learn
Saving the Plan
IMPORTANT: Always save the plan to a file for the user.
Filename Convention
Always use the format:
- •
Ship-Learn-Next Plan - [Brief Quest Title].md
Examples:
- •
Ship-Learn-Next Plan - Build in Proven Markets.md - •
Ship-Learn-Next Plan - Learn React.md - •
Ship-Learn-Next Plan - Cold Email Outreach.md
Quest title should be:
- •Brief (3-6 words)
- •Descriptive of the main goal
- •Based on the content's core lesson/theme
What to Save
Complete plan including:
- •Quest overview with goal and source
- •All reps (1-5) with full details
- •Action steps and reflection questions
- •Timeline commitments
- •Reference to source material
Format: Always save as Markdown (.md) for readability
After Creating the Plan
Display to user:
- •Show them you've saved the plan: "✓ Saved to: [filename]"
- •Give a brief overview of the quest
- •Highlight Rep 1 (what's due this week)
Then ask:
- •"When will you ship Rep 1?"
- •"What's the one thing that might stop you? How will you handle it?"
- •"Come back after you ship and we'll reflect + plan Rep 2"
Remember: You're not creating a curriculum. You're helping them ship something real, learn from it, and ship the next thing.
Let's help them ship.