irahardianto Sequential Thinking
Structured approach: breaks complex problems into iterative thought steps with revision and course correction.
When to Use
- Complex problems → manageable steps
- Planning requiring iterative refinement
- Analysis needing mid-stream correction
- Scope emerges during analysis
- Multi-step solutions needing cross-step context
- Hypothesis generation + verification
Methodology
- Initial estimation — estimate thoughts needed, stay flexible
- Iterative analysis — work sequentially, build context
- Revision — question/revise previous thoughts as understanding deepens
- Branch exploration — explore alternatives when needed
- Hypothesis cycle — generate, verify against chain, repeat
- Convergence — continue until satisfactory solution
Thought Structure
Each thought includes:
thought: current step contentthoughtNumber: position (1, 2, 3...)totalThoughts: estimate (adjustable)nextThoughtNeeded: boolean
Optional: isRevision, revisesThought, branchFromThought, branchId, needsMoreThoughts.
Process
Starting: estimate, begin thought 1 (context + approach), conservative totalThoughts.
During: build on previous, filter irrelevant info, express uncertainty, revise freely, adjust totalThoughts.
Revision:
{
"thought": "On reflection, thought 3's assumption about X was incorrect because Y...",
"thoughtNumber": 6,
"totalThoughts": 10,
"isRevision": true,
"revisesThought": 3,
"nextThoughtNeeded": true
}
Hypothesis cycle: generate → verify against chain → fails? revise/branch → repeat until validated.
Completion: nextThoughtNeeded: false only when satisfied. Single clear answer addressing original problem.
Context Management
- Reference previous thoughts by number
- Track valid vs revised thoughts
- Ignore irrelevant details per step
- Complex thought → break into multiple, increase totalThoughts
Output Format
Thought [N/Total]: [content]
[If revision: "Revises thought X because..."]
[If branch: "Branching from thought X to explore..."]
Solution: [Clear, direct answer]
Principles
- Flexibility > rigidity
- Revision = strength
- Hypothesis-driven
- Context-aware across thoughts
- Clarity at completion