> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.docthor.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Method - URL: https://www.docthor.com/tricking-the-troll/ - Published: 2026-08-30T16:55:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-28T21:01:37.000Z - Author: Thor Bergersen You are a scientist. How do I know this? Because, whether you know it or not, you practice the scientific method. It took humans a long time to describe the scientific method. We were walking around the planet for millennia before we found the words to articulate what we’ve all been doing on a daily basis. What is the scientific method? Simply put, it is the way we figure out how things work. According to scientists, the method is logical, sequential and has 7 steps: 1) Identify a problem - any mystery that might be solved 2) Observe - search for clues 3) Predict - the professor did it with the candlestick in the library 4) Experiment - run the scenario 5) Analyze results - do the facts support the story? 6) Make conclusions - “Gotcha professor!” or “Sorry professor. My bad.” 7) Share results - “The professor is a stone cold killer,” or “The murderer remains at large.” We’ve already identified the problem: the Undone. We know it’s there, but we’re not sure how it works, how it got there, or how to make it go away. We know that the Undone is made from everything you have not done - despite your best intentions - but have not yet forgotten or abandoned completely. Were it not for your memory of these undone things, they would have simply disappeared. Additionally, we know that our minds are capable of churning out more ideas, theories and potential actions than we can possibly squeeze into our busy schedules. Our capacity to follow through is limited not only by time, but also by resources. Practically speaking, we simply do not have everything we need to convert all of our thoughts into reality. Given these two basic premises, the Undone will emerge in the minds of everyone who: 1) Thinks faster than reality happens, and 2) Remembers what they have not done. Because these two criteria describe nearly all humans, we’ll have to drill down a bit further, starting with observation. Taking a step back, we can see that there are things we *will do* without difficulty or hesitation, and things we *will not do* unless the shit is about to hit the fan. Specifically, we will eagerly do what interests us in the absence of external pressure, and we will only do what does not interest us when a gun is pressed to our heads. In other words, we are motivated by the urge to make sense of things, to investigate. We avoid what we’ve already figured out or does not represent a challenge. Circling back to the scientific method, we observe that the Undone is fed by our intentions to pursue that which has already been observed, predicted, tested, analyzed, concluded and shared. Further, we may predict that we gravitate toward making discoveries, and avoid what has already been discovered. Our working hypothesis is therefore: 1) We are *not* naturally inclined to do things with predictable outcomes. Predictable is the opposite of interesting. We do not eagerly anticipate tackling a task when we know how it will turn out. 2) We *are* naturally inclined to do things that will test our predictions. Motivated by anticipation, the uncertainty that persists and builds, we are compelled to conduct experiments. Afterwards, we will know if our predictions were correct. Right or wrong, we learn from the process. Although this is a solid theory, obvious exceptions abound. Firstly, we do many things as a matter of routine. There is nothing to be learned from brushing our teeth, but we brush them nonetheless. Second, many things left undone involve predictions that have not been tested. Paths not taken, words unspoken, plans cancelled, opportunities missed and risks avoided. Third, we do many things simply because we have agreed to do them. Driving our friends to the airport will test no theories, but they asked and we said “Of course.” And finally, the bulk of the Undone’s contents can be labeled with one unassuming but loaded word: *Should*. Using the scientific method, we have identified the problem: The Undone. We have observed that this mind-dwelling entity feeds upon half-baked, partially planned, unrealized intentions. Based on our natural inclinations, we predict that we are more likely to do things that are interesting, challenging and urgent, while we are far less likely to do things that do not meet any of these criteria. The Undone, therefore, is composed largely of intentions to do things that are tedious, repetitive and without externally imposed deadlines. We are living experimental models of this theory, and the results are mixed. While many things left undone align with our theory, countless others do not. There are too many variables in life for any of us to run a controlled experiment, holding all of them constant while changing one thing at a time. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to shine the light of awareness upon the photophobic, mind-dwelling entity known as the Undone. In doing so, we can reasonably predict that it will shrink back while revealing its secrets. Then, like the troll Thor tricked into chatting until sunrise, it will turn to stone.