PaperMod gives me a clean baseline that still feels intentional: thoughtful spacing, built-in search, and a simple config for common sections. The defaults are light enough that I can add personality without fighting the theme.

Here is how I usually start:

  1. Enable profileMode for a concise hero with clear calls to action.
  2. Add social icons and favicons so the site looks complete on day one.
  3. Turn on ShowReadingTime and ShowToc to help readers scan.
  4. Deploy to Netlify with a preview branch so I can iterate safely.

If I need to push further, I override only a handful of partials (header, list layouts) and drop in custom CSS under assets/.