Design Explorations
Tight Five for Life
Five is the sweet spot — enough to capture a complete system, few enough to stay in working memory while you decide what to do next. Here are five ways to make that real.
The Framework
Morning Pages
A meditative journaling flow. One prompt at a time, full breath.
"Clarity comes from slowness. The question is the answer arriving."
The Compass
Navigate your five by rotating through cardinal directions.
"You already know where to go. The compass just reminds you."
The Stack
Five cards. Swipe through your daily check-in.
"Life is a deck. Shuffle daily. Play the hand you have."
Mission Control
All five visible at once. Your life dashboard.
"What gets measured gets managed. What gets seen gets done."
The Conversation
A wise friend who walks you through your five.
"The best framework is invisible. It feels like talking to someone who gets you."
Quick Comparison
| Approach | Density | Interaction | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📝 Morning Pages | Minimal | Linear | Reflective thinkers, journalers, morning ritualists |
| 🧭 The Compass | Medium | Spatial | Visual thinkers, spatial navigators, strategists |
| 🃏 The Stack | Low | Gestural | Mobile-first users, daily habit builders, quick thinkers |
| 🚀 Mission Control | High | Overview | Data-driven people, quantified-selfers, power users |
| 💬 The Conversation | Adaptive | Conversational | Conversational thinkers, coaching seekers, dialogue lovers |
Two Modes, One Framework
Pep Talk — Inner game. Clarify YOUR intention. Go fast, go alone.
Pitch — Outer game. Align OTHERS to your intention. Go far, go together.
The Fractal Pattern
L0 Discovery: Capture → Inquire → Design → Platform → People
L1 Strategy: Priorities → Problem → Purpose → Platform → People
L2 Execution: 5 Facts → 5 Questions → 5 Answers → 5 Ideas → 1 Decision
CDD Exploration Purpose
These explorations discover which interaction metaphor best serves personal Tight Five practice. The winning pattern informs component extraction, data persistence strategy, and whether Convex real-time or PostgreSQL batch fits the daily rhythm.