This isn’t a system. It’s scaffolding — for people trying to think clearly in a world that doesn’t make that easy.
See How I Think →The set of philosophies and tools that enable you to continue.
It's different for every person, but serves the same function: coping with the vagaries and requirements of operating in the modern world.
While we may think we're living in unprecedented times, we can look back at history to see how people have always responded under stress. I fall back on Stoic philosophy. Others might choose religion, or different philosophical frameworks entirely.
From a developer perspective, your mental stack is like cognitive load—the amount of mental effort you need to understand, remember, and work with all the technologies, tools, and processes in your tech stack. It's how much information you have to keep in mind to be effective.
This applies to life as well.
Gall’s Law applies. Complexity is earned. Start with the smallest thing that works and iterate from there.
The 80/20 rule isn’t just math — it’s a filter. Most tools aren’t worth your time. Some are. Keep those.
Under load, you don’t need optimization. You need something that still makes sense when everything else breaks.
"You probably don't need another tool."
Most problems aren't solved by adding complexity—they're solved by removing it. Focus on what actually matters instead of what's in front of you.
No course funnels. No optimization obsession. Just frameworks tested under pressure.