Tools (Protocols)

Tools & Protocols

This is my protocol hub: practical tools I use to stay functional when the floor drops out. The order matters. This page is triaged into three phases: Stop new damage → Restore traction → Rebuild systems.

Jump to a phase

Phase 1: First 72 hours

Goal: stop the bleed. Stabilize body + basics so decisions don’t get made from panic, shame, or shutdown.

Do these first (in order)

  1. Safety + essentials: food, water, meds, heat, sleep opportunity.
  2. Freeze the biggest fires: housing, utilities, transportation access, anything that creates cascading harm.
  3. No-big-decisions rule: no identity verdicts, no dramatic messages, no “burn it all down” moves.
  4. Inventory before identity: what’s left, what’s missing, what rebuilds first.
  5. Evidence Ledger (10 minutes): receipts beat shame.
  6. One contact + one structured ask: help without chaos.
  7. If numb/shutdown: exit shutdown safely (body-first re-entry).

Run this first: The First 72 Hours After Collapse (Field Protocol)

Use this when things just happened or you’re still in the blast radius.

Open the protocol

If you’re numb: Shutdown Exit Protocol (Numb Isn’t Nothing)

If you can’t feel, can’t move, can’t care: don’t force motivation. Re-enter safely.

Open the protocol

Evidence Ledger vs. Shame Ledger

10 minutes. Write receipts. Keep reality intact.

Open the protocol

Help Without Collapse (Request Protocol)

Ask for help without oversharing, spiraling, or inviting chaos.

Open the protocol

Inventory Before Identity (Asset Map)

Identity is a conclusion you earn later. Inventory is what you do first.

Open the tool

Friction Reducers (when everything feels heavy)

Reduce daily drag so momentum can exist again.

Open the tool

Movement as Medicine (when motivation is dead)

Move first. Negotiate later.

Open the tool

Winter Rules for Rebuilding

Conservation isn’t failure. It’s strategy.

Open the tool

Quick card: 72-hour minimum viable checklist

  • Basics: food/water/meds/heat/sleep window
  • Protect essentials: housing/utilities/transport
  • Evidence: write 5 receipts (minimum)
  • Inventory: what’s left / missing / rebuild-first
  • One small fire: one contained, finishable task
  • One contact: one structured ask

Phase 2: Day 4–14

Goal: restore traction. Turn chaos into a small plan you can execute without spiraling.

Do these next (in order)

  1. Money triage: keep-alive first, then stabilize, then negotiate/delay.
  2. Install friction reducers: fix the top 3 daily drains.
  3. Reputation reset: a clean “what happened” script (for interviews/networking).
  4. Routine scaffolding: sleep/food/movement + one task block.
  5. Repeat the help protocol: 2–3 specific asks, low drama, high clarity.

Money Triage Without Panic

When money is on fire, calm becomes a tool. This sorts priorities and reduces cascading damage.

Open the protocol

Friction Reducers (run as a 14-day experiment)

Pick one change, test it for 24 hours, repeat. Momentum returns through finishable wins.

Open the tool

The Two-Minute Reputation Reset

A short script: context → ownership → what changed → why this role → boundary + pivot.

Open the protocol

Help Without Collapse (repeatable)

Turn “I need help” into a clear, bounded request someone can actually respond to.

Open the protocol

Evidence Ledger (daily, then weekly)

Track action. Stop shame from rewriting the story mid-rebuild.

Open the protocol

Quick card: “traction week” template

  • Daily: 10 minutes evidence ledger + 10 minutes movement
  • Daily: one small fire (finishable task)
  • Twice/week: money triage check + next 72 hours plan
  • 3 messages/week: networking or support asks (structured)

Phase 3: Weeks 3–8+

Goal: rebuild systems so life doesn’t collapse the same way again.

Do these next (in order)

  1. Run the rebuild framework: Stabilize → Clarify → Rebuild.
  2. Deep inventory: skills map, constraints, options, “stable platform” vs “future platform.”
  3. Build systems: templates, checklists, routines, fewer leaks.
  4. Maintain narrative integrity: evidence ledger reviews + course-corrections.

Framework: Stabilize, Clarify, and Rebuild

The larger map that connects the protocols into a rebuild process.

Open the framework

Inventory Before Identity (deeper pass)

Re-run the asset map with more honesty and more specificity as traction returns.

Open the tool

Work & communication tools (optional, but useful)

If conflict patterns or workplace dynamics are part of your rebuild.

Open the post

Quick card: weekly rebuild review (15 minutes)

  • What worked: 3 receipts (minimum)
  • What leaked: 1 friction point to fix
  • What matters next: 1 priority for the coming week
  • Support: 1 ask, 1 follow-up, 1 boundary sentence

Note: This is general information and personal process writing, not medical, financial, or legal advice. Use what helps. Leave what doesn’t.