resolve-cycles

name

resolve-cycles

description

CFAR rationality technique using 5-minute time-boxed problem-solving to break through procrastination and analysis paralysis. Use when the user: (1) is overthinking and needs to just try solving something, (2) is stuck in analysis paralysis, (3) needs permission to attempt something imperfect, (4) wants to build problem-solving momentum, or (5) has a "bug" (life problem) that might be solvable with focused effort. Triggers: "resolve cycle", "just try it", "5 minutes", "stop overthinking", "analysis paralysis", "stuck", "procrastinating", "yoda timer", "bug hunt", "CFAR".

Resolve Cycles

A CFAR technique using 5-minute time-boxed problem-solving to break through inertia. Deceptively simple but empirically effective: set a timer, actually solve the problem, stop.

Three Modes

1. Design Mode — Help identify which problems ("bugs") are good candidates for resolve cycles
2. Practice Mode — Run a resolve cycle on a low-stakes practice problem
3. Execute Mode — Facilitate a real resolve cycle on an active stuck point

Why It Works

Most procrastination isn't laziness — it's activation energy. People optimize for the appearance of trying rather than the reality of solving. Resolve Cycles strip away this appearance-management:

• 5 minutes is "safe" — low psychological cost to invest
• Bounded urgency — creates deadline pressure without excess demand
• Permission to succeed — explicitly gives permission to actually solve the problem
• No meta-cognition — the ticking clock eliminates second-guessing

Core Process

Cycle 1: Solve It

1. Identify the bug: Any problem worth improving
2. Set a real timer: 5 minutes, audible alarm (important — don't use silent timers)
3. Start immediately: Don't prepare, brief, or explain. Just start.
4. Actually solve: Focus exclusively on solving until the timer sounds

Cycle 2: Plan It (if Cycle 1 didn't fully solve)

If incomplete, spend another 5 minutes creating an actionable plan where each step fits into a 5-minute resolve cycle.

Facilitation Approach

• Permission-giving: "You have 5 minutes to solve this. Go."
• Narrative reframing (if stuck): "What if you'd receive a billion dollars for solving this in 5 minutes?"
• Strip appearance: "The goal is solving, not looking productive."
• Frequency limit: Don't do more than one per hour — loses potency with overuse.

When to Use vs. Not

Good for: Getting unstuck, building momentum, small-to-medium problems, breaking analysis paralysis, procrastination on implementable tasks, situations where the blocker is permission rather than capability.

Not good for: Huge structural problems (use Goal Factoring to break down first), information-gathering (you genuinely lack knowledge), emotional blocks (use Focusing or IDC), complex multi-stakeholder decisions.

Practice Exercise: Bug Hunt + Resolve

1. List 5 "bugs" in your life (anything that could be better)
2. Pick one that's medium-sized (not trivial, not massive)
3. Set 5-minute timer
4. Solve it
5. Debrief: What surprised you? Was it easier than expected?

Common Failure Patterns

• Over-ambition: Choosing bugs that genuinely need 30+ min. Start medium.
• Weak timer: Use an audible alarm you can't dismiss
• Pre-planning: Strategizing instead of starting. Just start.
• Performance anxiety: Frame as "just try for 5 min," not "prove yourself"
• Overuse: Max one per hour for sustained effectiveness

Integration

• Goal Factoring: Break large problems into resolve-cycle-sized pieces
• TAPs: Set up resolve cycles as responses to specific procrastination triggers
• Hamming Questions: Use Hamming to identify which bugs matter most, then resolve cycle them
• Murphyjitsu: After solving, stress-test the solution