Clone test

If two options would start with the same first actions, seek the same evidence, and fail for the same reason, count them as one.

Determined to finally fix your scattered focus, you shortlist three productivity systems from three different books: time-blocking, a bullet-journal method, and a popular task-manager setup. They have different names, different fans, and different aesthetics, so it feels like a rich choice you should research carefully before committing.

Clone test is a comparison move that checks whether two options are really one. Ask three questions of any pair: would they start with the same first actions, would they seek the same evidence to know if they are working, and would they fail for the same reason? If yes to all three, count them as a single option. Run your shortlist through it: all three systems begin with you planning tomorrow the night before, all three succeed or fail on whether you consult the plan mid-afternoon, and all three die the same death, abandonment in a busy week. Three brands, one mechanism. What visibly changes is your choice set collapses to its true size, which stops you from spending research effort on a decision that was cosmetic, and reveals the real gap: you have zero options with a different mechanism, such as a body-double work session or blocking apps at the router. Skip the test when options already differ in actor, mechanism, or commitment structure; collapsing genuinely distinct candidates throws away real variety.