| name | principles-check |
| description | Evaluate efforts, ideas, or time allocation against guiding principles. Use when deciding whether to pursue something, reviewing completed work, or ideating on what deserves attention. |
| allowed-tools | Read |
Principles Check
Evaluate any effort, idea, or time allocation against guiding principles.
When to Use
- Before starting: Should I spend time on this?
- After completing: Was this a good use of time?
- Ideating: Which of these ideas best fits the principles?
- Feeling scattered: What should actually get attention?
- Reviewing output: Did this week align with what matters?
The Principles
Source: resources/guiding-principles.md
If no principles file exists, offer to help the user define some. Common principle categories:
Mindset
- Building things that compound vs one-offs
- Skills vs money focus
- Long-term vs reactive thinking
Building
- Protecting time/constraints
- Rhythm vs sprints
- Breadth vs depth at different stages
Foundation
- Health as multiplier
- Presence and relationships
- What enables everything else
Execution
For a Specific Effort/Idea
Read the principles file, then evaluate against each:
## Principles Check: [Effort Name]
| Principle | Score | Reasoning |
|-----------|-------|-----------|
| [Principle 1] | Strong/Moderate/Weak/Neutral | Why |
| [Principle 2] | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
**Overall Alignment**: Strong / Moderate / Weak / Misaligned
**Verdict**: [Pursue / Defer / Decline / Reconsider approach]
**Key Insight**: [One sentence on what this evaluation reveals]
Scoring:
- Strong: Directly advances this principle
- Moderate: Somewhat aligned, indirect benefit
- Weak: Minimal connection
- Neutral: Not relevant to this principle
- Negative: Works against this principle
For Comparing Options
When deciding between multiple ideas/efforts:
## Principles Check: Comparing Options
| Principle | Option A | Option B | Option C |
|-----------|----------|----------|----------|
| [Principle 1] | Strong | Weak | Moderate |
| [Principle 2] | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
**Recommendation**: Option [X] because [reasoning]
**Trade-off acknowledged**: [What you're giving up]
For Time Allocation Review
When reviewing a period (week/month):
## Principles Alignment: [Period]
### Where Time Went
[Summary of major efforts]
### Principle Coverage
| Principle | How It Showed Up | Gap? |
|-----------|-----------------|------|
| [Principle 1] | Built X, published Y | No |
| [Principle 2] | Learned Z | No |
| [Principle 3] | ... | Yes - reactive mode |
| ... | ... | ... |
### Principles Neglected
- [Principle]: [How it was neglected]
### Adjustment for Next Period
- [Specific action to better align]
Interpretation Notes
Not every effort needs to score high on all principles. The framework helps make trade-offs explicit:
- A quick task might score low on "compound" but high on "protect the constraint" (clearing the decks)
- Deep work might score low on "present when present" but high on "skills lead"
- Family time scores high on "present" and "relationships" but may be neutral on "compound"
The goal isn't perfect scores. It's conscious allocation.
Integration
- Weekly review: Include principles alignment check
- Before major commitments: Run principles check
- When feeling scattered: Use to clarify priorities
- Ideation sessions: Filter ideas through principles
Red Flags
Watch for patterns:
- Consistently weak on "protect the constraint" = overcommitment
- Neglecting "health" or "present" = foundation erosion
- All "validate wide", never "master deep" = perpetual exploration
- Chasing outcomes without building skills = short-term trap
