Updated: 31 October 2026

Break a problem down from first principles

This prompt helps you think about a problem from first principles, asking you what you know for certain and building up from there.

text-first-principles-breakdown — chatgpt — 51 words

Help me think about [PROBLEM] from first principles.

Ask me what I currently assume, then separate hard facts from assumptions and habits. Rebuild the problem from the facts only, and suggest three solutions I would not have considered if I had followed convention. Question anything that starts with "we have always".

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Question every "everyone knows" assumption; that is where new options usually hide.

Get a better result

What you will get

A guided breakdown that separates facts from assumptions and habits, rebuilds the problem from the facts only, and offers three solutions you would not have tried by following convention.

Why it works

First principles thinking separates facts from habits, so the prompt first asks what you assume. Rebuilding from facts only opens new options. Questioning anything that starts with we have always, as the tip says, is where ideas hide.

Common mistake

The facts are really opinions.

Fix: For each “fact”, ask “how would I prove this?” and move anything unprovable into the assumptions list.

Also watch for

The new solutions are unrealistic. Add your limits, such as budget, time and skills, so the options can actually be tried.
It answers before it asks. Tell it to ask you its questions first and wait. Your assumptions are the raw material.

Try a variation: apply it to a plan

Paste a plan you already have and ask which parts are justified by facts and which only follow habit.

Still not right? Reply with this

For the most promising new solution, give me the cheapest test I could run this week to find out if it works, and what result would count as a yes.