Resources & Standards: My Living Playbook

The Problem

I had a blog for narrative writing and a projects page for shipped work. But between them was a gap — the how. When I started a new project, I’d make the same decisions over and over: what’s the file structure for this type of project? What tech stack is current? What’s the testing standard? What do I need to check before shipping?

Every project was a fresh start with no reference point.

The Three-Layer System

The site now has three interconnected layers:

1. Blog — narrative learning. “Here’s how I built X and what I learned.”
2. Projects — proof of execution. “Here’s what I shipped.”
3. Resources — the repeatable playbook. “Here’s how I build things like this.”

Each page on the site now links to the others. A project page says “this was built following these standards” and links to the relevant resource category. A blog post says “this relates to these standards.” The resource pages reference the blog posts where I worked through the problems.

It’s a flywheel, not a collection of pages.

What’s in Resources

Nine categories, each following a consistent “start to shipping” structure:

• General Standards — Git workflow, file structures, accessibility, performance, privacy, SEO/GEO, shipping checklists
• Web Development — Astro, Next.js, SaaS architecture, performance budgets
• Browser Extensions — Manifest V3, WXT, Chrome Web Store compliance
• Mobile Apps — Flutter, app store submissions, COPPA/GDPR-K
• Desktop & CLI Apps — PowerShell WinForms, PS2EXE, zero-dependency distribution
• Game Development — Roblox/Luau, Rojo toolchain, procedural generation
• AI & Agent Workflows — Prompt engineering, MCP servers, agent-based SDLC
• DevOps, Domains & Infrastructure — CI/CD, Vercel, DNS, subdomain strategy
• Open Source — Starter kits, community playbook, semantic release

Every page has a sticky table of contents, structured data (TechArticle + BreadcrumbList), and an interactive shipping checklist that persists in your browser.

Interactive Checklists

The shipping checklists are the part I use most already. Each category has 8–11 items specific to that project type. Check them off, they’re saved in localStorage. Hit 100% and you get a green “ready to ship” confirmation. It’s a small thing but it makes the review sections feel alive instead of static.

82 items across all 9 categories. Every one comes from something I’ve forgotten to check before shipping in the past.

The Cross-Link Flywheel

Every project page now has a “Standards Applied” callout linking to the relevant resource category. Every blog post has a “Standards Reference” callout. The resource pages have References sections linking back to the blog posts where I worked through those problems.

This means you can start anywhere — read a blog post and find the standards, browse projects and see what standards were applied, or start at Resources and find the narrative behind each decision.

What Changed

• 3 new commits, 23 files, +3,406 lines
• 9 new MDX files in src/data/resources/
• 1 new React component — ShippingChecklist.tsx
• 1 new Astro component — Callout.astro
• Updates to the homepage, every project page, every blog post, and the /uses page
• Navigation — Resources link in the navbar and footer
• Build passes, 21 tests pass

Philosophy

This section is for future-me first. Visitors second.

The format is deliberately opinionated — these are my standards, not universal truths. They reflect what works for a dad who ships during nap time and needs to move fast without cutting corners.

I’ll update them after every major shipped project. If a category page goes stale, that’s a signal I haven’t shipped in that domain recently — which is useful information in itself.

Explore It

Start with General Standards for the cross-cutting principles that apply to everything. Then jump into whatever project type you’re working on.

The resources are at /resources. The homepage has a callout. The nav bar has a link. Every project page links to its relevant standards. You won’t miss it.