Stop collecting templates
A folder of templates feels like progress and changes nothing. One template you have used ten times beats fifty you saved.
- Writing
- Systems
Placeholder: this is an invented sample take. The real Issues are Hyrum’s own writing.
Saving a template feels like doing the work. It is the same feeling as buying a book you will not read. The folder grows, and the way you work does not change.
Used beats saved
A template earns its place by being used, then changed, then used again. After ten rounds it fits you. A template you downloaded fits whoever made it.
Start from your own last attempt
The best template is usually the last thing you made that worked, with the specifics taken out. It already matches how you think, and it has your own mistakes fixed in it.
Keep three, not thirty
If you cannot name the three templates you reach for most, you do not have a system. You have a collection. Delete the rest, or at least move them somewhere you will not see them every day.