Opportunity Cost Lens Prompt

Names the single best alternative to a commitment, gives it a real deadline, and compares the expected value of both.

Saying yes to a commitment always means saying no to something else, but that something else rarely gets named specifically, and it almost never gets a real deadline attached. This prompt forces both: the single most valuable alternative use of the same time, money, or attention, stated specifically rather than as "other things," and an actual closing date for that alternative rather than a vague sense that it might still be there later.

It builds an expected-value comparison from a probability estimate and a stated outcome value for both options, shown side by side, and classifies the trade as rational, a close call, or irrational. A real deadline on the alternative changes the verdict; a sacrifice with a genuine closing date is a permanent loss, not a delay.

Built for the moment before you commit real resources to something that feels obviously worth it. You walk away with two numbers, a dated comparison, and the one condition that would flip the verdict.