Why your prompt templates are mostly useless
A giant folder of 'perfect prompts' feels like leverage. In practice you reread them and write a fresh one anyway.
I built a library of prompt templates, neatly tagged, convinced it was an asset. A month later I opened it, found nothing that fit the task in front of me, and wrote a new prompt from scratch.
Templates work when the task is truly repetitive - same input shape, same output, same audience. Most real work is not that. The moment context shifts, the template becomes a straitjacket you edit until it is unrecognizable.
What actually helps is a short list of principles: state the goal, give one example, name the audience, ask for a draft you can argue with. Those travel across tasks better than any fixed template.
Keep three templates for the genuinely recurring jobs. Burn the rest. A small set you trust beats a huge set you ignore.