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Terraphim Claude Skills - Operating Philosophy

"Essentialism is about doing the right things. Effortless is about doing them in the right way." -- Greg McKeown

Essentialism + Effortless Operating System

This workspace operates on two complementary principles:

1. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Focus over breadth. The vital few over the trivial many.

2. Effortless: Making Essential Work Easy

Don't push harder--find the easier path.

The Three Essential Questions (Pre-Flight Check)

Before any significant work, answer:

  1. Inspiration: Does this energize or drain?
  2. Leverage: Does this use unique strengths?
  3. Value: Does this meet a real need?

If < 2 of 3: likely non-essential. Challenge it.

Operating Rules

The 90% Rule

If it's not a clear YES (90%+ fit), it's a NO.

Warren Buffett's 5/25 Rule

  1. List up to 25 goals/priorities
  2. Circle the top 5
  3. The remaining 20 become your AVOID AT ALL COST list

Effortless Inversion

For every problem: "What if this could be easy?" Design the simplest path, not the most impressive.

Phase-Gated Development

Phase McKeown Skill Output
1 EXPLORE disciplined-research Research Document
1.5 EVALUATE disciplined-quality-evaluation KLS Assessment
2 ELIMINATE disciplined-design Implementation Plan
2.5 CLARIFY disciplined-specification Edge Cases
3 EXECUTE disciplined-implementation Working Code
4 VERIFY disciplined-verification Test Evidence
5 VALIDATE disciplined-validation UAT Sign-off

Quality Gates

document_quality_gate:
  minimum_dimension_score: 3
  minimum_average_score: 3.5
  blocking: true

essentialism_check:
  enabled: true
  require_vital_few_alignment: true
  max_scope_items: 5

Code Quality: Simple Over Easy

Prefer Over
Fewer files with clear purpose Many files with scattered logic
Explicit, readable code Clever, compact code
Composition Deep inheritance
Clear contracts Hidden dependencies
Delete code Comment out code

Anti-Patterns to Eliminate

  • Undisciplined Pursuit of More: Adding without removing
  • Heroic Effort: Pushing through vs. removing obstacles
  • Saying Yes by Default: Every YES to non-essential = NO to essential
  • Over-Engineering: Building for hypotheticals
  • Scope Creep: Expanding without explicit approval

LLM Coding Discipline (Karpathy Principles)

Four principles for reducing common LLM coding mistakes, integrated into the disciplined-* skills:

Principle Skill Integration
Think Before Coding: Surface assumptions, present interpretations disciplined-research
Simplicity First: Minimum code, nothing speculative disciplined-design
Surgical Changes: Touch only what you must disciplined-implementation
Goal-Driven Execution: Define success criteria, loop until verified disciplined-implementation

Attribution: Derived from Andrej Karpathy's observations on LLM limitations.

Daily Practice

Before Starting Work

  • What is the ONE essential thing?
  • What must I eliminate or say no to?

After Completing Work

  • Did I focus on the vital few?
  • What made work effortless vs. effortful?

Resources