Inversion
Ask how you would guarantee the outcome you do not want, then systematically stop doing those things.
- Time cost
- 20 min
- Output
- A list of failure-guaranteeing behaviours with current ones marked.
- Steps
- 5
Use when
- You are stuck on how to achieve something and the forward view is producing nothing.
- Success is hard to define but failure is obvious.
- The field is one where avoiding errors matters more than making brilliant moves.
Do not use when
- Avoiding failure is not the same as succeeding here. You still need a forward plan.
- The failure modes are already well known and being managed.
Inputs required
- A clearly stated goal
Procedure
- 01
State the goal
What outcome are you trying to reach? One sentence.
- 02
Invert it
How would you guarantee the opposite? Be concrete and be generous — list everything, including things that sound absurd.
- 03
Audit against the list
Which of these are you currently doing? This is the step that produces the finding, and it is uncomfortable by design.
- 04
Remove first
Stop the failure-guaranteeing behaviours before adding success-seeking ones. Removal is usually cheaper and more certain than addition.
- 05
Check what remains
Avoiding failure is not the same as succeeding. Once the list is clear, go back and write the positive plan.
Characteristic failure mode
Worked example
A person wants to build a durable exercise habit.
- 01Invert: how would I guarantee this never sticks? Make it depend on motivation. Make it need a 40-minute journey. Set a target I can fail visibly. Start at maximum intensity.
- 02Audit: three of the four describe the last attempt.
- 03Remove: drop the visible target, halve the intensity, move the location.
Result
Three removals and no additions. The positive plan — what the sessions actually contain — still has to be written separately.
Where to go next