Most people optimize what they ask AI.
This library optimizes how AI thinks before it answers.
A Thinking Format is a cognitive mode you assign to an AI model before your actual request. Instead of giving AI better instructions, you give it a different mind to work with. Same input. Completely different output.
There are six formats in this library — each built for a different type of task. Creative work, analysis, competitive thinking, pattern recognition, root cause diagnosis, future-state reasoning. One format per task. One prompt to paste.
If you just want the prompts:
→ Open THINKING-FORMATS-QUICK-REFERENCE
→ Find your task in the “Which Format?” table
→ Copy the prompt. Paste it before your request in any AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — works on all of them).
→ Done.
If you want to understand what each format does and when to use it:
→ Open THINKING-FORMATS
→ Read the Format Selection Guide at the top
→ Each format has a “Best for” section that tells you exactly what it unlocks
If you want to add your own formats over time:
→ Open THINKING-FORMATS-CHILD
→ Fill in the template
→ Paste the completed entry into THINKING-FORMATS under “The Formats”
If you use AI tools with a “custom instructions” or “system prompt” feature — Claude Projects, ChatGPT custom GPTs, or similar — you can paste these formats there as persistent skills. The AI will apply the thinking format automatically without you having to paste it every time.
If you don’t use those features, just paste the prompt at the top of any new conversation. Works exactly the same way.
| Format | Use It When You Need To… |
|---|---|
| 🎬 Scene Simulator | Create something that needs to live in someone’s chest, not just their head |
| 📐 Geometric Thinker | Break down a complex problem or stress-test a strategy |
| 🔍 The Prosecutor | Dismantle an argument or find what breaks in a plan |
| 🗺️ The Cartographer | Map a landscape or name something that doesn’t have a name yet |
| ⛏️ The Archaeologist | Find the real problem underneath the stated problem |
| ⏳ The Time Traveler | Reason about where things are heading before others see it |