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Printable Thinking Templates – Mental Models You Fill Out by Hand

Hacker News

Printable Thinking Templates – Mental Models You Fill Out by Hand

I built a collection of one-page printable templates for decisions, prioritization, and reflection. The twist: they're designed to be filled out with pen and paper, not digitally. Why paper? Writing by hand is slow—and that's the point. When I type, I can outpace my thinking. When I write, I catch myself mid-sentence realizing "wait, that's not actually true." The friction is a feature. What's included: - Decision Canvas (pros/cons + second-order effects + cognitive bias check) - Eisenhower Matrix (urgent vs. important) - Stop/Start/Continue audit - Rubber Band Model (what's pulling me forward vs. holding me back) - Cognitive Bias Checklist (pre-flight check before any big decision) Tech: All templates are written in Typst. GitHub Actions compiles to PDF, generates PNG thumbnails, and auto-generates the README from metadata comments in each .typ file. Zero manual release process. Philosophy: If a decision is easily reversible, don't use a template—just move. These are for the choices that keep you up at night. GitHub: https://github.com/philippnagel/thinkingtemplates I'd love feedback on which templates are actually useful vs. overthinking-theater, and ideas for new ones.

Visit product View on Hacker NewsJan 27, 2026

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