Invert the problem

Stuck on how to succeed at something, when it is easier to see how to fail.

Instead of asking how to achieve my goal, invert it.

1. Restate the goal as its opposite: how would I reliably guarantee failure here?
2. List the ten most effective ways to bring that failure about, ordered by how efficiently they would work.
3. For each, tell me honestly whether I am already doing some version of it. Be direct, this is the useful part.
4. Turn the list into avoidances: the things to stop doing, which are usually easier and more reliable than the things to start.
5. Finally, note anything on the failure list that is outside my control, so I do not waste effort defending against it.

My goal:


What I am currently doing:

Assumptions and reasoning. Digging out what you are taking for granted, including the sunk cost you keep not naming.