The Human Stack Builder

Step 1 of 6

Make the folders

A folder on your computer called [Your Name]'s Vault. Inside it, five subfolders. Three get a starter document each, and the other two stay empty until you have something to put in them. That is the entire setup.

Your name

Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing you type leaves this page.

five folders, one per line

1 Identity
2 Systems
3 Projects
4 Pulse
5 Thinking

The five layers are organized by how often they change: Identity yearly, Systems quarterly, Projects monthly, Pulse weekly, Thinking daily. Build from the bottom up.

Step 2 of 6 · goes in 1 Identity · about 10 minutes

Write your BRIEF

The master document about you. Without it, every AI you talk to is guessing. With it, every AI knows who you are before you say a word. Eight questions.

1. Who are you?

Name, role, what you actually do.

Be specific. "I'm a coach" is useless. "I'm a leadership coach for founders of companies between 10 and 50 people" is useful.

2. What is your core thesis?

The one big idea your work is built on.

3. What are your core values?

Three to five. One per line.

4. How would you describe your voice in five words?

5. What words do you never use?

6. What frameworks or methodologies define how you work?

7. What kind of output do you never want from an AI?

8. What are two or three short examples of your actual writing voice?

Paste real sentences you have written.

BRIEF.md

Step 3 of 6 · goes in 2 Systems · about 5 minutes

Build your INDEX

The routing table. It tells you (and any AI) what to load for what kind of work. Three categories is plenty to start: the kinds of work that take up most of your week. Solo creator? Try Writing, Strategy and planning, Client work. Business owner? Try Sales, Marketing, Operations.

Category 1

Kind of work

What to load

What rules apply

Category 2

Kind of work

What to load

What rules apply

Category 3

Kind of work

What to load

What rules apply

INDEX.md

Step 4 of 6 · goes in 4 Pulse · about 5 minutes

Set your NOW

The simplest document and the one with the highest weekly value. What is alive in you right now. Updated weekly, five minutes, Sunday night or Monday morning.

Priority 1

Priority 2

Priority 3

Active this week

One item per line is fine.

A recent decision

Blocked

What are you waiting on?

Energy

One honest line on where your head is.

NOW.md

Three documents, ready to drop into your folders.

Step 5 of 6

Leave the other folders empty

Projects and Thinking stay empty on day one. They are seats reserved for work that grows over time. Populating every folder before you start is how systems die in week two.

Step 6 of 6

Give it to your AI

Same three documents, every platform. Only the loading mechanism changes.

Claude: create a Project, drag in BRIEF, INDEX, NOW.
ChatGPT: create a Project, upload the three documents.
Gemini: create a Gem, paste the three documents into its instructions.
Anything else: paste the three documents at the top of a new chat.

Prove it works

Open a new chat and paste this prompt:

Based on what you know about me, what should I focus on this week and why?

If the answer names your actual priorities and shows the AI understands how you work, your stack is loaded. If it comes back generic, your BRIEF is too vague: add specifics.