The Narrowing Move — Interactive Examples

Round 1 — State What You Know

Student

My partner is a CS student who procrastinates. His hardest day is when he has to do everything he pushed off. He mentally estimates how long tasks take and uses that to justify delaying. He said "I've tried to create a calendar to section off my time" but it failed because "there's no real push for accountability." I think I need to build something that pushes him to start earlier.

Before you see the AI's response

The student says "I need to build something that pushes him to start earlier." What's the problem with jumping to that conclusion?

It's a solution before understanding the specific problem

The partner already tried calendars — "pushing" is the same idea

It assumes "starting earlier" is the right goal — maybe it's not about timing

All of the above

Dojo AI

"Pushes him to start earlier" — that's already a solution assumption. What if starting earlier isn't the right target? When he scans an assignment and decides to defer, what happens right after? Does he feel relief? Anxiety? Does he write the estimate down?

Student

He said he feels fine in the moment — like a rational decision. The bad feeling comes later when it piles up. He doesn't write anything down, it's all in his head.

Dojo AI

So there's a gap: the estimation feels rational in the moment, but creates anxiety all week. He knows the pattern. Awareness isn't the problem. You need the minute-by-minute — not the general story.

⏸ PARTNER PAUSE #1

"Walk me through yesterday — when you got an assignment, what happened in the first 10 minutes? Step by step."

Think about this

Why does the AI insist on "yesterday, minute by minute" instead of accepting the general pattern?

Round 2 — Find the Sub-Problems

What the partner said

"Yesterday I got a Canvas notification, opened it on my phone, skimmed the requirements for about 30 seconds, thought 'this is maybe 2 hours, I could do it Thursday night.' Closed Canvas. The whole thing took less than a minute. Didn't think about it again until Wednesday when two more had stacked up."

Dojo AI

Three distinct sub-problems:
1. The 30-second skim: Reads just enough to estimate, not to understand. Estimate may be wrong.
2. The "future self" handoff: Delegates to Thursday-him, assuming that version will have energy and no new work.
3. Invisible accumulation: Nothing tracks what he deferred. By Wednesday, three things piled up.

Before you pick — research says this isn't a discipline problem. Procrastination researchers found it's emotion regulation. People delay tasks that trigger negative emotions, and the "future self" estimate is systematically biased — we imagine a version more motivated than we'll actually be. This is also temporal discounting: the further away a deadline, the less real it feels.

This means a reminder or "push" system won't work. He'll ignore it like the calendar.

⏸ PARTNER PAUSE #2

"Of those three — the quick skim, handing it off to future-you, or not tracking what you've deferred — which one, if it disappeared, would change your week the most?"

Your turn to narrow

Of the three sub-problems — which one do you think is the trigger? The first domino? And why?

Round 3 — Define What to Build

Partner's answer

"The future-self thing. The skimming doesn't bother me, and I can see what's due on Canvas. The problem is I keep telling myself I'll do it later and I always believe myself, even though I'm always wrong about it."

Dojo AI

He's aware and still does it. So the intervention isn't awareness — it's friction between the decision and the action. Something that makes the "future self" handoff harder to do on autopilot. Don't default to "app." Think about how he actually operates — he skims on his phone, closes Canvas in under a minute.

Student

What if he had to write down his commitment — task, when he'll do it, how long? So he can see the pile building.

Dojo AI

That's designing for accumulation, but he said the handoff is the trigger. What if the tool forced a question: "You're telling future-you to do this Thursday. What's future-you giving up to make room?" That's the question he never asks. "Thursday" feels free. It's not.

⏸ PARTNER PAUSE #3

"Would you actually use something that makes you pause and answer 'what is Thursday-you giving up?' — or would you skip it?"

Design instinct check

The AI redirected from "make the pile visible" to "make the deferral harder." Why is that a better target?

Visibility is after the fact — friction is at the moment of decision

He already sees the pile on Canvas — another tracker won't change behavior

The partner said the handoff is the problem, so build for the handoff

All of these

Partner's honest reaction

"A form or app? I'd probably skip it. But honestly — when you asked me that question just now, face to face, I actually stopped and thought about it. I wouldn't do that alone with a screen."

Catch the insight

The partner just told you what form the solution needs to take. What is it?

Round 4 — Locked MVP

Final MVP

Broad problem: Partner delays assignments all week, then crams.

Specific component: The "future self" handoff — deciding to defer without questioning the cost.

What I'm building: A daily 2-minute check-in via text. When he defers a task, he texts three things: the task, when he'll do it, and what that time was already claimed for. I respond: "Do you still want to make that trade?"

How he uses it: Once daily via text when he gets new assignments.

Measurable: Over 5 days, how many decisions change after check-in. If 2/5 change, something shifted.

Carry this into your session

Started thinking "productivity app." Ended with a text protocol. Three things made that happen: (1) the AI demanded minute-by-minute instead of the general story, (2) research on emotion regulation killed the "push harder" instinct, (3) the partner said "I'd think about it if someone asked me" — and that determined the form. Your partner will do the same if you ask the right questions.

The Narrowing Move — See How It Works

Final MVP

Carry this into your session

Final MVP

Carry this into your session

Final MVP

Carry this into your session