To effectively practice first principles thinking, you should seek clarity on the end goal, scrutinize every underlying assumption, keep a methodical structure, and remain vigilant against complexity for its own sake. Always test and validate your reassembled solution. # 1. Identify the Core Objective Begin by clarifying what you’re trying to achieve. Are you trying to increase efficiency, reduce costs, or solve a user experience problem? Clearly defining the end goal ensures you’re dissecting the right challenge. # 2. Break Down to Irreducible Elements Decompose the problem into its most fundamental parts. Ask yourself: “What must be true for this to work?” and “What basic units or assumptions underlie the entire system?” Look out for complexity disguised as “standard practice” or “common knowledge,” which often includes non-essential steps or outdated reasoning. # 3. Question Every Assumption Don’t let industry norms or conventional wisdom remain unquestioned. What can go wrong here is allowing preconceptions to remain intact simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” If you fail to challenge these assumptions, you risk missing a simpler, more innovative path. # 4. Check for Logical Soundness As you break the problem down, test each piece for correctness and relevance. Misguided assumptions, logical fallacies, or unverified “truths” can slip through if you’re not careful. Always ensure the reasoning behind each element is directly tied to your fundamental objective. # 5. Maintain a Systematic Approach Partitioning can get messy if done haphazardly. Use frameworks or guidelines to keep track of each layer you’re examining. That might mean listing out assumptions, organizing them by category, or visually mapping how they fit together. # 6. Avoid Overcomplication While you want to go deep, don’t delve so far into minutiae that you lose sight of the main goal. Too much granularity can create confusion and stall progress. Strike a balance: dig deep enough to identify core truths, but not so far that you’re lost in irrelevant details. # 7. Continuously Validate After stripping away assumptions, rebuilding from first principles should be grounded in evidence, testing, or prototyping. Always do iterative checks—validate your insights against real-world data or expert feedback. This ensures that your “first principles” align with practical reality. Further reading and references: - https://fs.blog/first-principles/ - https://jamesclear.com/first-principles and https://jamesclear.com/feynman-mental-models - https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-secret-sauce.html