D · Recipe collection

Quick Recipes

Short methods that combine cognitive moves. Explore situations, examples, and related possibilities.

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The So-That LadderWhen a goal names something to finish, buy, or achieve, its purpose can stay surprisingly unclear. Follow a short chain of 'so that' statements until you can name the difference you actually want.
Metric CourtroomA number can improve while the thing you care about gets worse. Give your favorite metric a brief hearing: what does it reveal, how could it mislead, and what other observation would expose the difference?Expand branch →
The Beneficiary SeatWhen someone says 'this is good for all of us,' different benefits and burdens can disappear. Give benefit, cost, and legitimate veto their own seats before calling an outcome shared.
The After Photo'Improve communication' and 'finish training' sound like goals, but they may hide the changed state you need. Picture a brief before-and-after scene that shows what someone can actually do or experience differently.
The Counterfactual TwinA promising outcome is hard to judge without a fair comparison. Imagine the same person, resources, and time spent on the best realistic alternative, then compare what each future might deliver.
Draw the Enough LineWhen 'more' or 'better' keeps pulling effort into the same goal, mark the point where the actual problem is solved. Decide whether you need a threshold, a workable range, or continued improvement.
Floor Before FlightAn exciting result can hide a condition that would make achieving it unacceptable. Name the one or two things that must remain true even if the headline goal succeeds.
Install a Ceiling CapWhen effort or polish expands without a natural stopping point, choose a maximum for one cycle. Decide where the remaining capacity should go, and what evidence could justify revisiting the cap.
The Goldilocks BandAn exact target can turn nearly equivalent outcomes into success and failure. Draw a workable zone between too little and too much, then decide which boundary crossings would actually require attention.Expand branch →
The Winning-Losing FlipImagine hitting the target and still regretting the result. Write three plausible reasons that could happen, then protect against the one the target itself is most likely to encourage.
The Sacrifice Budget'Whatever it takes' leaves costs free to grow. Give one cycle explicit limits for the resources you can trade, and identify the scarce resource whose limit requires redesign rather than compensation elsewhere.
The Empty-Chair VetoThe person most affected by a decision may be absent or easy to overlook. Give that perspective an empty chair, identify a legitimate objection, and decide whether it calls for a protection or direct consultation.
Goal TriageWhen every desirable outcome is called a priority, tradeoffs stay hidden. Sort what must be protected, what must become sufficient, what to improve afterward, and what would merely be welcome.Expand branch →
The Three ClocksA gain today may quietly spend something you need later. Put a desired state and a possible cost on three relevant horizons, then repair any unaccepted borrowing from the future.Expand branch →
The Lead–Lag CoupleThe result you care about may arrive too late to guide this week. Pair a near-term behavior with a delayed outcome, explain why they should connect, and decide when you would stop trusting the early signal.
The Bad-Weather TestA goal that works only in an ideal week may disappear under ordinary disruption. Test reduced time, an unavailable person, and one plausible adverse condition, then define a smaller acceptable outcome that keeps the purpose and protections.
Turn It into a Two-Way DoorA large commitment may be asking more certainty than you have. Turn the next destination into a smaller trial with an exit, a review date, and explicit evidence needed before any larger commitment.
Learn Before EarnIf success depends on something you do not yet understand, the next goal may need to be learning. Name the decision, the uncertainty that could change it, and the smallest timely observation that would update you.
The Minimum Viable WinA distant ambition may be too large to tell you what should happen next. Define the smallest real result that would inform the next decision, make it observable, and give it a near-term horizon.
The Stoplight Contract'We'll adapt if needed' leaves the decision to whoever argues hardest later. Write observable green, amber, and red conditions now, with a review date and someone legitimately able to apply or revise them.Expand branch →
The Portfolio PieOne vivid goal can consume attention until other necessary outcomes almost disappear. Allocate one hundred points across the outcomes that matter, mark protected minimum shares and concentration limits, then discuss what the picture reveals.
The Goal Rehire InterviewAn old goal can keep its job through momentum alone. Temporarily set it aside, then ask whether today's evidence and obligations would justify hiring it again, at what scope, and for what review period.
Sacred Activity CheckScoring can support an activity—or interrupt the reason you value it. Ask whether more measurement helps participation, then protect the conditions that let the experience matter without requiring it to perform for a score.