Murphysjitsu
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
A simulation technique. Instead of merely asking "What if things go wrong?", you close your eyes and imagine the scenario where the project has already completely failed. This "surprise" sensation triggers specific risk points that your subconscious has been ignoring, allowing you to patch the plan accordingly.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Intuition awakening. When you feel the plan "looks fine" but have a nagging unease, use this technique. The subconscious knows better than reason where problems will occur.
Anchor fast decisions
A pre-mortem risk assessment technique, derived from the positive application of Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." The mechanism is "emotional simulation": when you rationally ask "What if things go wrong?", the brain stays at an abstract level; but when you close your eyes and vividly imagine the scene of "already completely failed", it triggers genuine surprise and disappointment, forcing the subconscious to surface specific risk points that reason has overlooked.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/5Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- lesswrong.comhttps://www.lesswrong.com/posts/N47M3JiHveHfwdbFg/hammertime-day-10-murphyjitsuverified
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