Reverse Engineering from Outcome

The Promise

Stop asking "what should I do next?" Define the finished state in concrete detail first, then walk backward. The next step appears, undeniable, at the end of the chain.

How It Works

• Define the end-state in concrete sensory terms. Specific enough that two observers would agree whether it has been achieved.
• Walk backward through the necessary milestones. From the end-state: what had to be true the quarter before? The year before? The chain stops at a milestone you can begin this week.
• Identify the next step as the chain's terminal node, not as a guess. It is derived, not brainstormed.

In Practice

Forward planning's answer to "what's next?" is a function of what the current self can imagine. Reverse engineering's answer is a function of what the goal requires. The two answers are often different, and the reverse-engineering answer is typically more specific, less obvious, and closer to correct.