Thinking & decisions21 categories
Argue hard against the option I picked
When you have already chosen and want the case against before you announce it.
I have chosen an option. Argue hard for the one I did not pick. 1. Make the strongest case for the rejected option. Use its best evidence, not a token version. 2. Attack my choice directly: what is the weakest link in my reasoning, and what happens if it breaks? 3. Tell me what would have to be true for your argument to win. State it as a checkable condition, not a vague possibility. 4. Then step out of the role and give me your genuine assessment: was my original choice right? Do not concede early to be agreeable. If the case against me is thin, say that at step 4, but make the case properly first. What I chose, and why: What I rejected:
Making it yours
- Paste your own material where the prompt asks for it. Everything above that line is instruction, not content.
- Delete any rule that does not apply to you. A shorter prompt that fits beats a thorough one that does not.
- If the answer comes back vague, add a line saying what you do not want. Constraints work better than encouragement.
Stress-testing a plan. Pre-mortems, arguing the other side, and following the consequences past the first order.
Related prompts
Run a pre-mortem on this planBefore committing to a plan that people are already enthusiastic about.What happens after the thing I want happens?Any change where the first-order effect is obvious and everyone stopped thinking there.Map who this decision lands onA change that will affect people who are not in the room when it is made.Argue the other sideWhen you have already decided and want the decision tested.What is the worst case?Anxiety about a decision you have not actually sized.What if I do nothing?Before acting because acting feels better than waiting.
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