Solve problems backwards - what would guarantee failure?
Apply inversion thinking to problems by identifying what guarantees failure, then systematically avoiding those pitfalls. Use this when planning projects or decisions to surface hidden risks and create robust strategies by elimination.
/plugin marketplace add shishiv/shishiv-resources/plugin install shiv-resources@shishiv-resourcesgoal or leave blank for current contextconsider/Instead of asking "How do I succeed?", ask "What would guarantee failure?" then avoid those things. </objective>
<process> 1. State the goal or desired outcome 2. Invert: "What would guarantee I fail at this?" 3. List all failure modes (be thorough and honest) 4. For each failure mode, identify the avoidance strategy 5. Build success plan by systematically avoiding failure </process><output_format> Goal: [what success looks like]
Guaranteed Failure Modes:
Anti-Goals (Never Do):
Success By Avoidance: By simply not doing [X, Y, Z], success becomes much more likely because...
Remaining Risk: [What's left after avoiding obvious failures] </output_format>
<success_criteria>