Shower thought

What it does

Takes a half-formed idea or observation and follows it to its interesting or absurd conclusion, useful for pressure-testing assumptions or just enjoying an idea.

When to use

• When you have a thought you want to poke at
• As a warm-up before a brainstorm
• When you want to see how far an idea holds up before you commit to it

The skill

I have an idea. Push it as far as it goes.

Here's the idea: [your idea]

Work through it like this:

1. State the core assumption. What would have to be true for this idea to be right?
2. Take it further. If this is true, what else follows? What else follows from that?
3. Take it to the extreme. What does the world look like in 10 years if this idea is completely correct?
4. The crack. Where does the logic break down? What's the thing that makes it not quite work?
5. The useful bit. Even if the extreme version is wrong, what part of this idea is worth keeping?