Descartes’ Square: A Universal Technique for Any Life Situation

There are times when we face choices that are difficult to make. We may feel internal conflicts, with arguments in favor of both options. Usually, making a decision in such situations is hard because we get stuck thinking about what will happen if we choose one way or the other. We end up going in circles, weighing the pros and cons of each possible outcome.

Descartes’ Square is a technique that helps you look at the situation from all angles. To use it, you need to answer four questions in writing:

• What will happen if I do this?
• What will happen if I don’t do this?
• What won’t happen if I do this?
• What won’t happen if I don’t do this?

It’s important to write down your answers because:

• It helps you distance yourself from the situation and look at it with a clear head.
• You can clearly see your thought process and the results of your reflections.
• It’s hard to remember all your answers, and forgetting some can make your analysis less objective.

Next, analyze your results. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Then, make the choice that best fits your priorities. Usually, after this analysis, the right decision becomes obvious.

This technique can be used in almost any area of life—from major, life-changing decisions to everyday matters.

Using Descartes’ Square to Analyze Past Experiences

You can also use Descartes’ Square to analyze past situations and experiences. For example, say ten years ago you decided to stay in your hometown instead of accepting a job offer in another city. It can be very helpful to answer the four questions about that decision:

• What happened when I did this?
• What would have happened if I hadn’t done this?
• What didn’t happen because I did this?
• What wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t done this?

Why Is This Useful?

Our past experience is a series of decisions we’ve made. If you’re not satisfied with your current situation—whether it’s your finances, relationships, career, or business—now is a good time to reflect: How have you made decisions throughout your life? What guided you when you agreed or refused something? By analyzing your past decision-making, you might realize that you often made choices out of fear or anxiety, and later regretted it. Or you might see that you didn’t think your decisions through carefully enough and suffered losses as a result.

Applying Descartes’ Square to Your Current Situation and Goal Setting

Descartes’ Square can also help you analyze your current life situation and set goals. Choose an area of your life that concerns you and answer these questions:

• What is present now and is good?
• What is present now and is bad?
• What is not happening (what is missing) now and that’s good?
• What is not happening (what is missing) now and that’s bad?

This method lets you look at your situation from a detached perspective. The answer to “What is not happening now and that’s bad?” will help you understand where to focus your efforts and set goals. The answer to “What is happening now and that’s bad?” will help you identify obstacles and set goals to overcome them.

This technique can be applied in almost any area where you need to clarify something, break out of a mental loop, draw conclusions, or make a decision.