"From any input, any system with a finite number of states and a tiring factor will always reach a stable repeating loop." — Edward de Bono
A thinking tool for pondering things. Not a hierarchy. Not pros and cons. A flow — where each thought leads to ->, until a loop surfaces.
Think of it as a shortform mindmap with a disclosed loop.
You write one-liners about a problem. You connect each one to where it naturally leads to. The structure that emerges — collector points, chains, stable loops — tells you something the list alone never could.
Bored → Open phone → Scroll → Compare → Feel bad → Post → Anxiety → Check phone → Scroll
↑_______________________________________________↑
the loop surfaces
The loop is the thing. It's where the system keeps returning. Change a path, insert a node, and watch which loop dominates. That's the intervention.
Download index.html and open it in your browser. That's it.
No server. No install. No account. One file.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. Add nodes | Type one-liners about your problem, press Enter. Each gets a label A, B, C… |
| 2. Connect | Right-click a node → Add path TO… — where does this naturally lead? |
| 3. Weight | Right-click an edge → Make strong path — mark the most likely direction |
| 4. Set entry | Click ★ to set the starting point — the list reorders by flow |
| 5. Read | A Collector is where many paths meet. A Stable loop is where the system settles |
de Bono's rule: each node has exactly one strong out — the one thing it most leads TO. Many nodes can flow IN. One flows out. That constraint is what makes the loop surface.
Two views, one model: the List and the Graph stay in sync — edit in either.
Flowscapes live in your browser's localStorage — private, instant, no cloud.
- Export → downloads the current Flowscape as a
.jsonfile - Import → merges from a
.jsonfile (safe, deduplicates by ID)
Send the file. They open it. Same Flowscape, their browser.
Tag any node with a de Bono thinking hat to mark what kind of thought it is:
| Hat | Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| ⚪ | White | Facts / information |
| 🟡 | Yellow | Value / optimism |
| ⚫ | Black | Risk / caution |
| 🔴 | Red | Feeling / intuition |
| 🟢 | Green | Creativity / ideas |
| 🔵 | Blue | Process / control |
Rock Logic asks "Is this true?" Water Logic asks "What does this lead TO?"
Most thinking tools are built on rock logic — categories, criteria, pros/cons. Water Logic is different. It models flow: the way attention, habit, and perception actually move through a system. The loop that surfaces isn't a failure — it's the answer. It shows you where the system is stable, and what you'd need to change to shift TO it.
de Bono called it the Flowscape. We built a tool for it.
Vanilla JS · SVG · localStorage · no dependencies