Thinking in layers

Let's say you want to decide how to price an airline ticket. You have some information to work with. Customers will be willing to pay either $200 or $1,000 for this flight.

It seems obvious; you should price it at $1,000 if you know people will pay it.

But let's say you're skeptical that someone would pay $1,000 for this 50-minute domestic flight, so you do some digging and find out that people will pay $200 99.99% of the time and $1,000 only .01% of the time.

Now, you decide to price it at $200 and feel silly that you almost lost out on that ticket revenue.

Before you call it a day, you want to triple-check your rationale, and to your surprise, you find that people will pay the $200 99.99% of the time on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The other weekdays, the odds flip; now, there's a 99.99% chance people will pay the $1,000 for the ticket and only a .01% chance they'll pay the $200.

You think, "Wow!" That was a close call. Without that information, your pricing would be highly inefficient.

To be extra sure, you do a little more research. Do you find that these probabilities only hold for the second week of the month, the other weeks? There is a 100% chance that people will pay $300, no more, no less.

At this point, you contemplate retirement.

This example is ridiculous but demonstrates an essential critical thinking skill, layering.

Every decision we make, big or small, has hidden layers. There are no decisions without hidden information to discover.

Understanding this principle can help in decision-making.

Where should we go to eat tonight?

Frequently, this decision can seem like a standstill; two places seem good, but we don't feel compelled one way or the other, and it can be hard to choose.

Considering the underlying layers, you can give yourself more to work with than just what you're in the mood for. Let me break it down.

Layer 1

Before we discuss each option, let's consider the following: What have we already eaten today, and which nutrients have we neglected? How much have we already eaten today? How much are we willing to commute? How much do we want to spend?

Layer 1 consists of thinking broadly about goals, expectations, and boundaries. We can't make decisions unless we analyze the situation first. What kind of environment are we operating in? Is it raining, snowing, or sunny? These factors can influence our decision later, such as not wanting to go to a food truck during a hurricane.

Layer 2

Layer 2 analyzes our options independently of our conclusions from Layer 1. What are the characteristics of our options? How are they different? How are they the same?

Layer 3

Now that we've gone through several layers, we can compare our findings from layer one to layer two and bring it all together. Since you haven't eaten much today, Restaurant 1 might be better, and you've already tried everything from Restaurant 2, so it would be good for you to branch out. It is a beautiful day, and you would love to eat outside, but since Restaurant One is downtown, you could take it and walk around.

Even though it seems complicated to do all of this for an eating decision, the beauty of this practice is that you can remove as many or as few layers from a decision as desired. This helps you understand how many layers are appropriate for the given decision.

Below, I have outlined how this practice can benefit you as a critical thinker.

Motivation

Layering can be used as a motivator. If you have a task that seems so monumental you don't even know where to start, break it into layers. Once you unravel enough layers, you can tackle it layer by layer. A few layers in, and you already have a more comprehensive understanding of the problem, and it seems more manageable.

Competitive advantage

Imagine you're working on a project at work. You think you've done a good job, but you really want your work to stand out since an executive (Tasha) will look at your presentation. Look at each section of the project and identify how many layers deep you've gone. Now, try to go one layer deeper.

Fast-forward and Tasha is looking through your presentation. She's already looked at one from someone in your department and is surprised at how much more thorough and insightful your work is.

By squeezing that extra context and depth, you stand out from the person who decided their work was good two layers ago.

Holistic problem solving

Another significant aspect of layering is that valuable information is usually hidden within a few layers of what is visible from above. By digging deeper, you can uncover insights that expand your perspectives and even change your decision entirely.

Layering isn’t just a decision-making trick — it’s a mindset. It invites you to pause, observe, and go deeper than your first instinct. Whether you’re pricing a plane ticket, choosing where to eat, tackling a daunting task, or aiming to stand out at work, layering gives you an edge. It equips you to navigate complexity with clarity, uncover hidden insights, and make decisions that aren’t just good — they’re informed and intelligent.

The next time you feel stuck, uncertain, or overwhelmed, don’t just look for the answer. Look for the layers. Chances are, the clarity you’re searching for is just one layer deeper.