Cognitive Framework 2026

Core human capabilities in the post-memory, post-noise, post-automation era: think better, filter faster, and apply with judgment.

Block 1 — Deep Thinking and Understanding

How real understanding is built

Capabilities

  • Thinking
  • Reasoning
  • Analyzing
  • Inferring
  • Intuiting
  • Hypothesizing

Purpose (3)

  • Build real understanding, not repetition of information or borrowed opinions.
  • Develop personal mental models to interpret new and complex problems.
  • Increase the ability to infer and anticipate even with incomplete information.

Practical exercises (5)

1) Five-line mental model

Choose a complex topic and explain it in a maximum of five lines using your own words. If it does not fit, simplify the model.

2) 3×3 decomposition

Take a problem and divide it into three main parts, then break each part into three sub-elements (causes, components, or factors).

3) Silent inference

Read a text or case and write three conclusions that are not explicit but logically deducible. Justify each with “because…”.

4) Rapid hypothesis

Form a hypothesis using: “If X continues, Y will likely happen because Z.” Then write which data you would validate first.

5) Verified intuition

Write down your initial intuition about a situation. Then look for 2–3 quick pieces of evidence to confirm or correct it.

Block 2 — Synthesis and Cognitive Clarity

How to reduce complexity without losing meaning

Capabilities

  • Synthesizing
  • Summarizing
  • Clarifying
  • Minimizing

Purpose (3)

  • Reduce complexity while preserving meaning, making ideas actionable.
  • Improve communication and decisions by eliminating ambiguity.
  • Optimize mental energy by focusing on what truly matters.

Practical exercises (5)

1) 20% rule

Summarize a text leaving only the most important 20%. That 20% should allow a decision without reading the rest.

2) One essential sentence

Reduce a complex idea to one clear and useful sentence that guides understanding or action.

3) Ambiguity removal

Rewrite a vague statement until it allows no double interpretation. Replace fuzzy words with concrete terms.

4) Fewer steps, same result

Choose a process and remove 1–2 unnecessary steps without losing quality. Document before and after.

5) Explain it to a 12-year-old

Explain the concept using simple language and one example. If jargon is required, clarity is missing.

Block 3 — Discernment and Mental Filtering

How to protect the mind from noise

Capabilities

  • Discerning
  • Discarding
  • Prioritizing

Purpose (3)

  • Protect attention by separating signal from informational noise.
  • Make better decisions with less effort by prioritizing real impact.
  • Avoid cognitive overload through conscious elimination.

Practical exercises (5)

1) Signal vs noise

From ten ideas or data points, select only three that influence decisions. Explain why the rest do not.

2) Conscious discard list

Write five things you will NOT do today to protect focus and energy.

3) Daily 80/20

Identify the one to three actions that generate most results and do them first.

4) Impact question

Before starting a task ask: “Does this move the needle or just fill time?” Adjust accordingly.

5) Weekly information detox

One day per week consume only high-quality sources. Observe the change in focus.

Block 4 — Context and Reorganization

How to reframe ideas and adapt to change

Capabilities

  • Contextualizing
  • Reorganizing

Purpose (3)

  • Avoid isolated conclusions by integrating ideas into larger systems.
  • Adapt quickly by reorganizing thinking as environments evolve.
  • Improve systemic understanding of complex interactions.

Practical exercises (5)

1) Triple context

Place an idea in historical, social, and technological contexts. Note what changes when one context shifts.

2) Role switch

Analyze the same problem as a customer, leader, technician, and future self. Compare priorities.

3) Reordered map

Reorder notes by impact (high to low), not chronology. This forces essential-first thinking.

4) System question

Ask: “Which larger system influences this?” Name the system and its effect.

5) Version 2.0

Rewrite an old idea with current knowledge. State what you keep, correct, and add.

Block 5 — Projection and Expansion

How to create future and new value

Capabilities

  • Projecting
  • Expanding

Purpose (3)

  • Anticipate future scenarios to reduce uncertainty.
  • Create opportunities and solutions beyond current use.
  • Develop long-term strategic thinking aligned with human and technological evolution.

Practical exercises (5)

1) 3F scenarios

Define three futures: probable, optimistic, and disruptive. Write two early signals for each.

2) Alternative uses

Take an idea or tool and generate three new uses. One must be intentionally unconventional.

3) Domino effect

If X happens, write five cascading consequences (X→A→B→C…).

4) Cross-domain connection

Connect an idea from your field with another discipline and describe the fusion in three lines.

5) Idea + AI

Ask an AI for three ways to scale or automate the idea. Choose one and define the first concrete step.