> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pensiv.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 6.5 Designing a multi-document workflow

> Role-based layout, layout strategy, how to think about it

The key to using multiple documents well\
is not opening more of them.

It’s **giving each file a clear role**.\
If you treat every file the same,\
you get a wide view but the center can blur.

***

## Role-based layout

With multiple documents,\
it helps to **assign place and role** by type.

Example:

* **Main document**\
  → Where you actually write\
  → Keep it in a stable position when you can
* **Plotboard**\
  → Check structure and flow
* **Sheets**\
  → Reference for setting and facts
* **Notes**\
  → Quick capture and parked items

Then you always know\
**what you’re writing** and **what you’re referencing**.

***

## Layout strategy

When you set up multiple documents,\
use **frequency and purpose** to decide how:

* Files you switch between often → **tabs**
* Files you need to see all the time → **split view**
* The document you’re working on → keep open

The default is not to close files\
but to **adjust where they are**.

***

## How to think about it

The point of multiple documents\
is not to make the workspace complicated.

> Multiple documents\
> are a **structure** to keep\
> your current context on screen.

You arrange so that\
what you’re referencing\
and what you’re writing\
don’t disappear from view.

***

## Summary

If your flow keeps breaking,\
check not how many files you have\
but **how they’re arranged**.

A multi-document setup\
is not for organizing thought;\
it’s **a way of working** that keeps context visible.