First Principles Thinking: Build Better Habits by Solving the Right Problems
Most people try to improve their habits by copying what’s worked for others.
They download someone’s morning routine.
Try to repeat their productivity blueprint.
Start a gym program a friend swears by.
But here’s the problem:
That’s solving by analogy, not by design.
Sometimes it may work.
But it’s still building on someone else’s assumptions instead of your truths.
That’s where First Principles Thinking comes in.
It’s the practice of breaking something down to its most fundamental, non-negotiable truths, and building back up from there.
In the context of habits, that means stripping away the hacks, the tools, the noise, and getting to what actually works for your life, your biology, your goals.
It may not be as frictionless as copy and paste.
But you’ll build a system that fits, and sticks.
This isn’t just a thinking tool.
It’s a change tool.
Whether you're trying to wake up earlier, stop scrolling, launch something new, or just live more intentionally, First Principles Thinking cuts through overwhelm and brings you back to what truly matters.
Solving the Wrong Problems
A while ago, I found myself stuck in an exhausting pattern:
→ Try a new tool|
→ Watch a few tutorials
→ Copy a system I saw someone else using
→ Burn out… and quit
It happened with fitness. With productivity. Even with how I ran parts of my business.
Then I asked:
“What’s the actual goal here? And what are the fundamental truths that don’t change?”
In fitness, it wasn’t “follow this routine.”
It was:
Humans are made to move daily
Resistance builds strength
Sleep and nutrition matter more than gadgets
In business, it wasn’t “find the best funnel.”
It was:
Create something people truly want
Communicate it clearly
Deliver it reliably
I had been solving symptoms, not root causes.
Now, anytime I feel overwhelmed or over-engineered, I go back to first principles.
Strip it down. Rebuild better.
3 Ways to Use First Principles Thinking
This framework works anywhere: health, habits, time, and business.
Here’s how to apply it across key areas of your life:
1. Health & Fitness
The Trap: Following someone else’s exact plan
First Principles Questions:
What does the human body actually need to thrive?
What’s sustainable for me right now?
What outcomes do I actually care about?
Example Rebuild:
→ High-quality food 80% of the time
→ Eliminate complexity
→ Prioritize recovery
→ Movement daily
2. Time & Productivity
The Trap: Downloading someone’s Notion template
First Principles Questions:
What do I want more time for?
What’s essential to move my goals forward?
What drains my time but doesn’t serve me?
Example Rebuild:
→ Ditch tools that create more friction than flow
→ Eliminate 3 recurring commitments
→ Block 2 hours daily for deep work
→ Set 1 daily “must-do”
3. Work & Entrepreneurship
The Trap: Doing what “successful” companies do without asking if it fits you.
You start a business for freedom.
Then raise capital. Add a board. Layer in OKRs and daily standups.
Now you have a board, are essentially answering to a boss again, and trying to hit metrics that don’t even matter to your original vision.
Jason Fried calls this out in Rework:
“When you take on investors, your entire focus shifts from your customers to your board. You’re no longer building what you believe in - you’re building what you’re told to.”
First Principles Questions:
Why did I start this in the first place?
What am I optimizing for - freedom, impact, income, autonomy?
What could I remove to get closer to that?
Example Rebuild:
→ Reconnect with your original purpose, and let that set the strategy
→ Build around direct feedback from customers, not investors
→ Refuse funding if it misaligns with freedom
→ Strip out processes that feel performative
The goal isn’t just to build something big.
It’s to build something true.
First principles get you back there.
Seeing the Solution
The reason this works so well is simple:
It reduces mental load while improving decision clarity.
You’re no longer solving around assumptions but instead solving at the core.
““If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes on the solution.” ”
That’s First Principles Thinking in a nutshell.
Don’t guess. Don’t copy.
Break it down. Rebuild it better.
Find your next edge,
Eli
