Name Your Current Strategy
If you can't name what you're doing, you're on autopilot.
Stop. Name it in exactly 6 words. Name the strategy you are currently using to solve this problem.
Not what you're doing ("writing code", "researching options") — what you're strategically doing ("narrowing the solution space by testing edge cases first", "building a minimal prototype to validate the core assumption", "pattern-matching against similar problems I've seen before").
If you can't name it, you don't have a strategy. You're executing on momentum. That's sometimes fine — but you should be choosing it, not defaulting to it.
flowchart TD
A["Pause work"] --> B["Name your current strategy in one sentence"]
B --> C{"Can you name it?"}
C -- Yes --> D{"Is it the right strategy?"}
C -- No --> E["You are on autopilot"]
D -- Yes --> F["Continue with confidence"]
D -- No --> G["Change strategy now"]
E --> H["Define a strategy, draw a ThinkFu move, or backtrack"]
style C fill:#f39c12,color:#fff
style E fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
style F fill:#2ecc71,color:#fff
style G fill:#e67e22,color:#fff
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When to Use
- At any point during work — this move is a universal interrupt
- When you realize you've been "heads down" for a while without checking direction
- When someone asks "why are you doing it that way?" and you don't have a crisp answer
- As a periodic check-in: every 15 minutes of focused work, or at natural breakpoints
Example
Situation: You're 30 minutes into refactoring a module. You've renamed some variables, extracted a helper function, and are now considering splitting a class.
The check: "What's my strategy here?"
- Can't name it? You started with a small rename and scope-crept into a full refactor. You're on autopilot. Stop and decide: is a full refactor what you actually want to do right now?
- "I'm improving readability by reducing cognitive load in the hot path." Good — that's a real strategy. Now ask: is this the right strategy given the time you have?
- "I'm refactoring because the code is messy." That's a motivation, not a strategy. What specifically are you trying to achieve and how will you know you're done?
Watch Out For
- Naming your strategy doesn't mean it's the right one — it just means you're conscious of it. Follow up with "is this the right strategy?" not just "do I have one?"
- This move can feel trivially simple. That's the point. The value isn't in the complexity of the technique — it's in the interrupt itself. Most bad decisions happen on autopilot
- Don't over-formalize. The answer can be casual ("I'm basically just trying things until something works") — the value is in noticing, not in having a grand plan
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