Editorial contribution · Personal
A year later, your plan has failed. What happened?
Three imagined retrospectives help you notice possible obstacles earlier.
Published: · Version 1
A prompt to try
My plan: [PLAN]. Goal, time and constraints: [DETAILS]. First ask about at most two essential missing details and wait if necessary. As a thought experiment, imagine the plan failed a year from now. Tell three different plausible retrospectives, at most 100 words each. Include an assumption, the moment a difficulty arose and an observable early warning sign. Label them fictional scenarios, not the most likely future or evidence. Do not invent probabilities. Which assumption could I check today with a small, inexpensive, reversible test? Suggest one test and explain what it would leave unknown. Finish with an equally plausible success scenario to avoid focusing only on risks.
Copy the text into your AI, fill in the placeholders and check the answer.
Why try this?
Looking backwards makes assumptions concrete without predicting the future.
What you need
- A plan that matters to you.
How to start
- Copy the prompt, paste it into ChatGPT or Claude and fill in the placeholders.
- Add your details; answer any follow-up questions one at a time.
- Check and correct the result, then choose a useful next step.
What an answer could look like
Illustrative example · not a tested AI response
Illustrative example: Before a major move, spend an ordinary working week in the new location.
RobinPrompt.BETA 0.1.9