01Observe
Reframe Reality
What if the problem you are trying to solve isn’t the real problem?
Q-MoveRewrite the problem.
Catalog v1.0
The 54 cards
02Observe
The Observer
How might your fears, desires or identity be influencing what you see?
Q-MoveIdentify one bias.
03Observe
The Measurement Effect
How might the act of questioning, measuring or announcing this decision change the situation itself?
Q-MoveIdentify one reaction.
04Observe
Known / Unknown
What do you know, what are you assuming, and what can’t you yet know?
Q-MoveCreate three columns.
05Observe
Hidden Variables
What important influence might be invisible to you right now?
Q-MoveName one blind spot.
06Observe
Context Shift
If this exact situation occurred in a different context, would you make the same choice?
Q-MoveChange the setting.
07Observe
Question Order
Would your preference change if you considered the risks before the rewards?
Q-MoveReverse the order.
08Observe
Complementarity
Which two seemingly contradictory truths might both deserve consideration?
Q-MoveHold both truths.
09Observe
Signal or Noise?
What information seems important only because it is loud, recent or emotional?
Q-MoveRemove one distraction.
10Observe
The Default State
If you do absolutely nothing, what is likely to happen?
Q-MoveForecast inaction.
11Observe
Time Dilation
How different does this problem look over ten days, ten months and ten years?
Q-MoveCompare horizons.
12Observe
Boundary Conditions
What must remain non-negotiable, regardless of the outcome?
Q-MoveState your limits.
13Observe
Disconfirm Me
What evidence would convince you that your preferred option is wrong?
Q-MoveDesign one test.
14Explore
Superposition
What three possible paths could you keep open without ranking them yet?
Q-MoveList three options.
15Explore
Both / And
Where have you assumed that you must choose one thing or the other?
Q-MoveCreate a hybrid.
16Explore
The Third Path
If your two obvious options disappeared, what would you do?
Q-MoveInvent option C.
17Explore
Inversion
What actions would guarantee that this decision turns out badly?
Q-MoveReverse those actions.
18Explore
Parallel Futures
Imagine each available option succeeds. What had to happen for that success?
Q-MoveWork backward.
19Explore
Probability Cloud
What are the optimistic, pessimistic and most plausible outcomes of each option?
Q-MoveSketch three scenarios.
20Explore
The Tiny Experiment
What could you test cheaply before making the full decision?
Q-MoveDesign a trial.
21Explore
Quantum Tunneling
What overlooked route might take you through an apparently insurmountable barrier?
Q-MoveFind a small opening.
22Explore
Delay With Purpose
Which parts of this decision need resolution now, and which can remain open?
Q-MoveSeparate their timing.
23Explore
Option Value
What could you do today that would preserve or increase your future choices?
Q-MoveProtect flexibility.
24Explore
Divide to Decide
What happens if you break this big decision into several smaller ones?
Q-MoveSplit the choice.
25Explore
Constraint Flip
What if your biggest limitation could become an advantage?
Q-MoveTransform a constraint.
26Explore
Unexpected Combination
What two seemingly incompatible approaches could produce a surprising new solution?
Q-MoveCombine two ideas.
27Connect
Entanglement
Whose future is connected to yours through this decision?
Q-MoveMap affected people.
28Connect
Ripple Effects
Who or what might be affected beyond the obvious participants?
Q-MoveDraw the ripples.
29Connect
Hidden Dependencies
What else must go right for your preferred solution to succeed?
Q-MoveFind dependencies.
30Connect
Feedback Loop
What consequences of this decision could reinforce themselves over time?
Q-MoveDraw a loop.
31Connect
The Resistance Field
What forces in the surrounding system might push back against your choice?
Q-MoveIdentify resistance.
32Connect
Interference
Which actions, people or forces could amplify or cancel one another?
Q-MoveFind alignment or conflict.
33Connect
Perspective Exchange
How would the person with the least power in this situation describe it?
Q-MoveAdopt their viewpoint.
34Connect
Incentive Mapping
Who gains, who loses, and how might those incentives shape what they tell you?
Q-MoveMap interests.
35Connect
Timing Entanglement
How could changing the sequence of actions change the outcome?
Q-MoveRearrange the steps.
36Connect
Second-Order Effects
After the immediate consequence, what is likely to happen next?
Q-MoveTrace two more steps.
37Connect
Invisible Cost
What cost of your decision may be transferred to another person, place or time?
Q-MoveReveal the burden.
38Connect
Expand the System
What becomes visible when you consider the larger system rather than the immediate problem?
Q-MoveWiden the map.
39Connect
Collective Advantage
Could a different arrangement create value for more people without violating your constraints?
Q-MoveSeek shared gains.
40Act
Collapse Into Choice
Given what you know now, which option can you most responsibly commit to?
Q-MoveSelect a direction.
41Act
The Reversible Door
Is this choice difficult to reverse, or can you safely change direction later?
Q-MoveAssess reversibility.
42Act
Decision Threshold
What minimum evidence would make you ready to decide?
Q-MoveSet a threshold.
43Act
The Honest Trade-off
What are you willing to give up to obtain what matters most?
Q-MoveName the sacrifice.
44Act
Robust Reality
Which option performs reasonably well across several plausible futures?
Q-MoveStress-test options.
45Act
Downside Protection
How could you limit the damage if this decision goes wrong?
Q-MoveAdd a safeguard.
46Act
The Premortem
Imagine you chose this path and it failed. What caused the failure?
Q-MoveList failure modes.
47Act
Smallest Bet
What is the smallest meaningful action you can take before risking more?
Q-MoveDefine one move.
48Act
Ownership
Who will do what, by when, to turn this decision into reality?
Q-MoveAssign responsibility.
49Act
Exit Trigger
What observable warning would make you stop, reconsider or reverse course?
Q-MoveSpecify a trigger.
50Act
Review Point
When and how will you know whether this decision is working?
Q-MoveSet a review date.
51Act
Regret Lens
Looking backward from the future, which choice would you find easier to defend?
Q-MoveWrite your reason.
52Act
The Commitment Note
Can you state your chosen direction, your next action and what would change your mind?
Q-MoveWrite three lines.
53Wild
The Leap
What if everything except your ultimate objective were negotiable?
Q-MoveInvent a radically different path.
54Wild
The Anchor
What crucial fact, ethical obligation or affected person’s perspective have you not adequately considered?
Q-MoveStop, verify or consult before continuing.