Matrix Thinking
How do you see the meta in the matter?
The Deep Pattern
Matter and thought may not be as separate as they seem. At the quantum level, observation affects what is observed. At the human level, intention shapes attention, and attention shapes reality.
| Layer | What It Is | How It Manifests |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | Pattern, structure, the invisible | Intention, dreams, potential |
| Matter | Concrete, physical, the visible | Attention, action, reality |
| Matrix | The tool for seeing meta IN matter | Gaps reveal what could be |
Dreamineering = seeing the meta in the matter, then engineering the matter to match the meta.
The matrix is a lens. When you draw dimensions and find gaps, you're making thought visible. The empty cell isn't nothing—it's potential waiting to become matter.
"The representation is part of the cognition." — Judy Fan
How do you create gaps for your imagination to fill?
Diagrams | Matrices | Thinkers
Explore the matrices of your mind by using charts and tables to visualise the journey ahead and progress that has been made, by understanding what decisions need to be made when versus the decisions that have been made and why.
Identify gaps for your unconscious to fill and dots to connect
Cognitive Tools: Making the Invisible Visible
External representations — matrices, diagrams, drawings, data visualisations — are not outputs of thought. They are active components of thinking that make hidden structure, assumptions, and possibilities perceptible so your brain can work on them.
"The representation is part of the cognition." — Judy Fan
When you put things into a structured visual form, you force choices about what is important, how pieces relate, and what's missing. Those choices themselves drive learning and insight.
A matrix is a constrained visual space where you externalise your internal models. Empty cells reveal unexplored options. Mismatched rows expose faulty assumptions. The format itself does cognitive work that verbal thought cannot.
The Cognitive Tools Stack
| Layer | Purpose | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | Get thoughts out of your head | Mind maps, sketches, notes |
| Structure | Find patterns | Matrices, 2x2s, flowcharts |
| Communicate | Share with others | Diagrams, decks, data viz |
| Compute | Make it executable | Code, algorithms, workflows |
Five Questions Before You Draw
- What invisible thing am I trying to make visible? (assumptions, bottlenecks, mechanisms, capabilities)
- Which tool would make it most concrete? (matrix, diagram, map, code, data vis)
- What simplifying assumptions am I making? Externalise them so you can critique them.
- Who needs this and at what time horizon? Personal insight vs team alignment vs investor story.
- What's the smallest experiment this enables? Only invest in tools that would change a decision if results surprised you.
The Non-Expert Test
Before any external representation (matrix, doc, code), ask:
Could someone who wasn't in the room understand this?
The "non-expert" includes:
- Future you (who will forget)
- New teammates (who weren't there)
- AI agents (who were never anywhere)
Matrix thinking isn't just for you. It's for everyone who needs to see what you see—including actors who don't exist yet.
Core Concepts
Matrix thinking involves moving between different points of thought in seemingly unrelated ways, constantly absorbing and synthesizing information from the world around us. Unlike linear thinking, it allows us to find patterns and creative connections between concepts that may appear unrelated to others but make perfect sense when viewed through a matrix lens.
The Triple Reframe: Never settle on your first axis pair. Try at least three framings—the third often reveals what the first two missed.
Context Graphs & Decision Traces
Matrix thinking makes invisible structure visible to humans. But what about agents?
A Context Graph is matrix thinking formalized for machines—the application of this method to Process Knowledge.
- The Missing Link: Traditional systems store what happened (Data). Matrix thinking reveals why it happened (Context).
- Decision Trace: The path through the matrix. When you formalize your Protocols and Standards, you explicitly map the "Decision Trace" so that AI Agents can understand the reasoning, not just the result.
"A context graph captures the reasoning that connects inputs to outputs."
Technical implementation: Context Graphs — the memory layer for AI agents.
The Process
Step 1: Create the Structure
Draw out the dimensions you're exploring. A 2x2 is the simplest:
Low Y High Y
┌────────────┬────────────┐
High X │ ? │ ? │
├────────────┼────────────┤
Low X │ ? │ ? │
└────────────┴────────────┘
The ? marks are gaps. Gaps are where insight lives.
Step 2: Fill What You Know
Place known concepts in their positions. Don't force it—let what's obvious fall into place first.
Step 3: Question the Gaps
For each empty cell, ask:
- What belongs here?
- Why is this gap empty?
- What would fill this if it existed?
- Is the gap real or is my framing wrong?
Step 4: Connect the Dots
Look for relationships:
- Horizontal: How do things differ at same level?
- Vertical: How do things differ across levels?
- Diagonal: What unexpected connections exist?
- Inverse: What's the opposite of each cell?
Step 5: Reframe and Repeat
If the matrix feels forced, change the axes. The right framing makes connections obvious.
Common Matrix Patterns
Capability × Demand (Work Charts)
Low Demand High Demand
┌────────────┬────────────┐
Human │ Eliminate │ Differentiate │
Edge ├────────────┼────────────┤
AI │ Automate │ Scale │
Edge └────────────┴────────────┘
See Work Charts for the full coordination framework.
Certainty × ROI (Investment)
Low Certainty High Certainty
┌────────────┬────────────┐
High ROI │ DREAMER │ DO NOW │
├────────────┼────────────┤
Low ROI │ KILL │ QUICK WIN │
└────────────┴────────────┘
See Investing Decisions for decision frameworks.
Push × Pull (Motivation)
Low Action High Action
┌────────────┬────────────┐
Push │ Paralyzed │ Reactive │
(Fear) ├────────────┼────────────┤
Pull │ Drifting │ Flow │
(Desire) └────────────┴────────────┘
See The Game for the consciousness loop.
Toolkit
What tools can help you explore the matrices of your mind?
| Tool | Best For |
|---|---|
| Matrix Table | Comparing options, finding gaps |
| 2x2 | Prioritizing, categorizing |
| Flow Diagram | Processes, causation |
| Concept Map | Relationships, taxonomy |
| Work Chart | Human/AI capability routing |
- Pitch Decks and Presentations
- First Principle Checklists
- Flow of Value Diagrams
- RoI Analysis
- Functional Code
Application: Vertical Opportunity Discovery
Matrix thinking is the meta-tool for finding opportunities across industries. The invisible becomes visible when you cross dimensions:
| DISCOVER (Forces) | APPLY (Strategy) | |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Idea Discovery — Forces create friction, friction creates opportunity | Vertical Integration — Own data → workflow → payments |
| Verticals | Industries — 5P analysis per vertical | Full-stack companies — Winner-take-most dynamics |
The loop: Matrix thinking reveals gaps → Idea Discovery fills gaps with thesis → Industries validates in specific verticals → Vertical Integration captures value.
Empty cells are where insight lives. Cross Industry analysis with ABCD forces to find the opportunities others miss.
The Meta of the Matter
Matrix thinking is how you operationalize the flow of progress:
INTENTION (meta) + ATTENTION (matter) = FLOW
↓ ↓ ↓
What is to be What is now Agency
The pattern The concrete Freedom to play
Dream Engineer True potential
The matrix externalizes this balance:
- Rows/columns = the dimensions you're navigating (intention sets them)
- Filled cells = what exists now (attention reveals them)
- Empty cells = potential (where meta hasn't become matter yet)
When you fill a gap in a matrix, you're turning thought into reality. That's not metaphor—it's how progress actually works.
See The Meta of the Matter for the full philosophy.
Context
- The Game — The consciousness loop
- Dream Engineer — T-shaped capability
- Work Charts — Who does what
- Potential
- Spirit
- Investing
Benefits
- Explore gaps — Empty cells reveal what's missing
- Reveal strengths — Filled cells show what you have
- Make connections — Relationships across cells show patterns
- Transfer knowledge — Non-experts see what experts see