Thinking Sequentially

Purpose

Structure complex reasoning through numbered thought sequences:

• Decompose multi-step problems into traceable chains
• Track dependencies between insights explicitly
• Create checkpoints for periodic review
• Enable revision when assumptions change
• Support parallel hypothesis exploration

Quick Start

1. Define - State the problem clearly as THOUGHT 1
2. Decompose - Break into numbered thoughts with dependencies
3. Track - Mark dependencies explicitly: "depends on THOUGHT 2"
4. Checkpoint - Summarize every 5-10 thoughts
5. Revise - Update thoughts when assumptions change, invalidate dependents
6. Branch - Explore parallel hypotheses when needed

Features

| Feature | Description | Guide | |---------|-------------|-------| | Numbered Chains | Explicit THOUGHT 1, 2, 3... with IDs | Number every insight, never skip | | Dependencies | Mark what each thought relies on | [THOUGHT 4] <- depends on [2, 3] | | Checkpoints | Periodic summaries of findings | Every 5-10 thoughts, list key findings | | Revisions | Update previous thoughts with new data | Mark original as revised, create new | | Branching | Explore multiple hypotheses in parallel | Create named branches, select winner | | Visual Maps | Diagram thought relationships | ASCII diagrams for complex chains |

Common Patterns

# Problem Analysis Pattern
THOUGHT 1: Problem statement
THOUGHT 2: Success criteria
THOUGHT 3: Constraints
THOUGHT 4: Assumptions (validate!)
THOUGHT 5-N: Solution exploration
=== CHECKPOINT ===

# Decision Making Pattern
THOUGHT 1: Decision to make
THOUGHT 2: Options identified
THOUGHT 3-N: Evaluate each option
THOUGHT N+1: Comparison matrix
THOUGHT N+2: Recommendation

# Investigation Pattern
THOUGHT 1: What we observed
THOUGHT 2: What we expected
THOUGHT 3: Gap analysis
THOUGHT 4-N: Hypothesis testing
=== CHECKPOINT: Root cause ===

# Visual thought mapping
        [THOUGHT 1: Problem]
               |
    +----------+----------+
    |                     |
[THOUGHT 2]         [THOUGHT 3]
    |                     |
    +----------+----------+
               |
        [THOUGHT 4: Synthesis]

Use Cases

• Multi-step debugging requiring traceable reasoning chains
• Architectural decisions with complex trade-off analysis
• Code review requiring systematic examination of multiple concerns
• Root cause analysis with hypothesis tracking
• Complex refactoring requiring dependency-aware planning

Best Practices

| Do | Avoid | |----|-------| | Number every thought explicitly | Skipping numbers for "obvious" thoughts | | Mark dependencies clearly | Hiding dependencies in prose | | Summarize at checkpoints | Exceeding 20 thoughts without checkpoint | | Allow revision with reason | Deleting invalid thoughts (strike through) | | Time-box each thought | Infinite exploration without bounds | | Branch for parallel exploration | Branching more than 3 levels deep | | Validate assumptions early | Proceeding with invalidated dependencies |

Related Skills

See also these related skill documents for complementary techniques:

• writing-plans - Structure plans as numbered thought sequences
• debugging-systematically - Apply sequential debugging steps
• tracing-root-causes - Use numbered investigation chains
• brainstorming-ideas - Generate options in thought steps