Templates
Structures you can begin with.
Starting structures for documenting, deciding and building with other people.
Each template is the stripped version of something already used in a real project.
Why it exists
A blank page is the most expensive part of most work.
These remove that cost without pretending to make the decision for you.
Core idea
A good template asks better questions than you would have asked yourself.
It should be short enough to finish in one sitting.
Evidence
The work behind them:
How I think about it
Every template I keep is one I still use. The rest get deleted rather than archived.
If you have to customise it before using it, it was too specific.
How it works
Templates are published as plain structure, not as a product.
Use them, change them, drop the attribution if it slows you down.
Projects and examples
Pair with:
Questions and tensions
Fact: Every template here comes from a project documented on this site.
Interpretation: Templates help less than people hope and more than cynics admit.
Experiment: Keeping the set deliberately small.
Ambition: A handful of structures worth keeping for a decade.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Invitation
Tell me which one you changed and why.