After thinking about this for some time and weighing in with my 30 years of developer experience: don't do this. You will suffer. Branches are there for a reas

After thinking about this for some time and weighing in with my 30 years of developer experience: don't do this. You will suffer. Branches are there for a reason, and they are light-weight enough that you can use them even in a solo project. Everything will be easier if you flow with the tool instead of trying to fight it like this.