Archetypes

You are a data processing system. Context comes in. State changes go out.

What you control: where you point attention, and which mode you run.

The Processing Model

CONTEXT → MODE (archetype) → METHOD (protocol) → STATE CHANGE

Goal: Match mode to context. Maintain flow.

The Tight Five

Not personality types. Processing modes. Match mode to context for optimal state change.

Mode	Activate When...	Method	Output
Dreamer	Possibility seems impossible	Design Thinking	Vision
Engineer	Vision needs a path	First Principles	Path
Realist	Stories need grounding	Critical Thinking	Truth
Coach	People need unlocking	Questions, ZPD	Growth
Philosopher	Direction feels wrong	Inversion	Meaning

The practice: Plan your day. Tag each block with the mode it needs. Step into character before you start.

The Enemy

Avoid the weak-willed and self-interested. Learn to recognise. Do not become.

Easy times create weak people. Weak people create hard times. Hard times create disciplined people. Disciplined people create good times.

• The Nice Guy — agreeable but hollow
• The Complainer — drains energy, offers nothing
• The Drama Magnet — chaos follows them
• The Naysayer — kills ideas before birth
• The Victim — blame without agency
• The Toxic Positivist — denial dressed as optimism
• The Manipulator — self-interest disguised as help
• The Time Vampire — takes without reciprocity

The Enemy corrupts coordination. Identify early. Exit fast.

Context

• Thinking Methods — The protocols archetypes run
• Data Flow — Clean, fast, open state changes
• The Game — The inner loop
• Players — The outer loop (coordination)
• Capabilities — Skills you can develop

Which mode does this moment demand?