> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://meta.niceshare.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Principles · Decision Filters & Foundational Rules > 30 principles and value orientations — the meta-rules that guide consistent judgment under pressure. Principles are your decision filters: they keep you clear-headed when emotion and complexity cloud the way. ## What are Principles? A principle is a **foundational decision rule and value orientation** — not an operational checklist, but a meta-rule that guides consistent judgment across different situations. Without principles, every decision requires starting from scratch. You're vulnerable to emotion, pressure, and the loudest voice in the room. With good principles, you have a reliable filter. > Principles are your decision firewall. Good principles keep you clear-headed when everything else is chaotic. **This category covers 30 core principles**, organized into three groups: * **Systems Design Principles**: foundational standards for building sustainable systems * **Decision Principles**: guides for better choices under high stakes and uncertainty * **Ethics & Collaboration**: the foundational norms for working effectively with others *** ## Systems Design Principles Keep It Simple — simplicity is the highest design goal Don't Repeat Yourself — every piece of knowledge has a single source of truth You Aren't Gonna Need It — don't build for hypothetical future needs Every module should have one, and only one, reason to change Different parts of a system should handle different, non-overlapping problems Systems should behave in the way users expect them to Detect and surface failures early to reduce downstream cost Ship small, learn fast — never aim for perfection in the first pass Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive — no gaps, no overlaps in analysis *** ## Decision Principles Focus on the 20% of actions that generate 80% of the results Those who bear the consequences of decisions make better decisions Improvement often comes from removing the bad, not adding more good Prefer decisions that are easy to undo over those that are not Minimize the maximum possible loss When facing significant uncertainty and high stakes, act cautiously first Humans naturally gravitate toward the path of least energy expenditure What's important is rarely urgent; what's urgent is rarely important Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things *** ## Ethics & Collaboration Engage with the strongest version of an opposing argument before critiquing it Design systems to benefit from disorder, not merely survive it Decisions should be made at the lowest effective level Responses should be proportionate to the situation Open and clear communication builds trust Design rules without knowing your own position in the system Treat others as they treat you; mirror their behavior Among competing hypotheses, prefer the one with fewest assumptions Care personally + challenge directly — the antidote to ruinous empathy Information may be shared freely; the source must remain confidential Listen 80% of the time; speak 20%