Separate facts from assumptions explicitly
Sort what you actually know from what you’re assuming, in two visible columns.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Sort what you actually know from what you’re assuming, in two visible columns.
- Why it works: Facts and assumptions blur together in the head, so assumptions get treated as constraints they are not. Externalizing the split into two explicit lists works by making the assumptions visible and therefore challengeable; an assumption you can see is one you can test or drop. Visibility is what turns a hidden constraint into a choice.
- Evidence: Plausible mechanism, limited direct outcome data.
- Avoid: Filing assumptions in the “facts” column because they feel certain. The whole value is in being ruthless about what truly belongs as fact.
Why it works
Facts and assumptions blur together in the head, so assumptions get treated as constraints they are not. Externalizing the split into two explicit lists works by making the assumptions visible and therefore challengeable; an assumption you can see is one you can test or drop. Visibility is what turns a hidden constraint into a choice.
How to do it
- 1Draw two columns: “Verified facts” and “Assumptions I’m making.”
- 2Force every belief into one column; if you can’t prove it, it’s an assumption.
- 3Attack the assumption column — which ones, if false, would change everything?
What the evidence says
MechanisticA practical externalization technique consistent with research on how offloading reasoning to external representations reduces cognitive load and surfaces hidden premises. Mechanistic.
Honest caveat: Offloading research is general; the specific two-column fact/assumption split is a heuristic built on it, not a studied protocol.
- — Research on external representation / cognitive offloading in reasoning and problem-solving
Common mistake
Filing assumptions in the “facts” column because they feel certain. The whole value is in being ruthless about what truly belongs as fact.
IX Coach helps you build and pressure-test the fact-vs-assumption split, challenging items you’ve marked as facts to make sure your “bedrock” is actually solid.
Practice this with IX Coach →