Vacation Logic is a method for reimagining complex systems using first principles. It works by helping you make one clean break from what you have—so you can design what you actually want.
The framework is based on a few simple building blocks. Here’s how it works.
Inside the Framework
-
Every system you work within—a company, a habit, a market, an institution—has its own internal logic. The first step is to identify the key essences that define this reality: the core aspects that shape how it functions. Use the Reality Snippets here.
-
Once the essences are clear, you apply the Operators of Change.
These are simple but powerful tools to facilitate thinking about complements for the essences you found in the previous step:
Is ↔ Isn’t
Lots ↔ Little
Whole ↔ Part.Each inversion opens up a different manifestation — a possible new version — of that same core essence. You can use the Inversion Canvas to capture all the new manifestations you think of.
-
A single inversion will affect everything it touches. This step is about tracing the ripple effects and identifying which other essences now need to invert, using the same Operators of Change, in order for the logic to hold.
The result: a reality that is structurally different, internally consistent, and strategically sound.
First Principles thinking done step-by-step
You already know how to design radical change.
Every time you’ve planned a vacation, you’ve designed a radically different reality.
Stop innovating and start reimagining.
If you’ve ever had the feeling that your system doesn’t need to be optimised—it needs to be radically changed—
this framework is for you.
See it in Action
Want to see how this plays out in real contexts?
The book walks through reimagined realities in:
Personal life (e.g. your vacation vs your everyday)
Industry-level disruptions (e.g. Airbnb vs hotels)
Systems and infrastructure (e.g. rethinking an airport terminal)
