I didn’t start using first principles because it sounded smart. I used it because life got noisy, and the usual routines stopped working. You know that moment when everything feels off, but nothing is technically wrong? That was me. So I did the one thing most people avoid: I tore everything down to the studs.
When Things Stop Adding Up
I kept catching myself saying things like “this is how it’s supposed to be” or “it worked before.” Those lines are basically autopilot. Comfortable, but not useful.
When the story you tell yourself gets louder than what’s actually happening, it’s time to reset.
So I reset. Not dramatically. Just honestly.
I asked myself the questions I’d been dodging:
- What am I really trying to solve?
- What outcome actually matters to me?
- Which limitations are real, and which ones did I just accept because they were familiar?
It’s uncomfortable at first, but it’s also freeing. Once you challenge assumptions, you see how many of them never needed to be there.
How I Broke Things Down
I took one decision that had been draining me and rebuilt it from zero.
- I wrote down the real goal, not the polite one.
- I listed every assumption behind the way I was approaching it.
- I crossed out anything that was just inherited thinking.
- I built a new plan starting from the raw facts.
It wasn’t some clean “framework.” It felt more like taking apart a machine while hoping you remember how to put it back. But the clarity hit fast.
The Unexpected Benefit
When you strip decisions down to fundamentals, things get quieter. The internal noise drops. The second-guessing slows down. You stop weighing other people’s opinions like they’re laws of physics.
Using First Principles Day to Day
You don’t need a crisis for this stuff. I use it now for simple choices too:
- What to prioritize
- What inputs to ignore
- Whether a routine is still earning its keep
- What goals actually matter versus what I’m “supposed” to care about
The point isn’t to optimize life. It’s to see it clearly.
What This Taught Me
Starting from first principles didn’t magically make things simple. It just made things honest. And once something is honest, you can work with it.
Key Takeaways
- Most assumptions don’t survive contact with the truth.
- Rebuilding from scratch is annoying but worth it.
- Clarity feels quiet.
- First principles thinking isn’t a philosophy exercise. It’s a reset button.
Feels right that this is the first post here. If I’m going to write publicly, I might as well start with the thing that helped me get unstuck.