Daily thread: workflow tweaks vs the alternatives [v4]

I want to write something more comprehensive about this later but starting with a quick post to gather thoughts. The trade-offs here are not obvious to me and I keep flip-flopping.

I tried three different approaches and none of them felt quite right. This came up at a meetup recently and the room was split, so curious what the broader community thinks.

I want to write something more comprehensive about this later but starting with a quick post to gather thoughts. Long-time lurker, first-time poster.