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_research_framework_20-04-2025

2 min read

🧠 5-Hour Deep Research Framework (For Anything)

A tactical, time-boxed system to understand any topic, trend, industry, or concept at a high level in just 5 focused hours.

⏱️ Hour 1: High-Level Understanding

  • Search: "What is [topic]", [topic] 101, [topic] explained
  • Read:
    • Wikipedia + 2–3 credible overviews (news articles, blog posts, intro videos)
    • Any recent market overviews or summaries (McKinsey, a16z, etc.)
  • Focus on:
    • Core definitions and principles
    • History and evolution
    • Current status and relevance
  • Search: [topic] trends 2024, emerging tech in [topic], news in [topic]
  • Sources:
    • Google News, Reddit, Twitter/X, niche blogs, newsletters
    • Industry-specific forums or communities (e.g., Hacker News, StackOverflow, r/[topic])
  • Look for:
    • What’s changing fast?
    • What’s controversial or debated?
    • What breakthroughs or disruptions are happening?

⏱️ Hour 3: Key Players + Ecosystem

  • Identify:
    • Top companies / influencers / researchers / products
    • Major investors, government agencies, or regulators (if relevant)
  • Research:
    • Company websites, investor letters, product roadmaps
    • Social media activity and thought leadership
  • Tools:
    • LinkedIn, Crunchbase, PitchBook, Product Hunt

⏱️ Hour 4: Problems, Gaps, and Opportunities

  • Ask: What are the biggest pain points, bottlenecks, or inefficiencies?
  • Read:
    • Customer reviews (G2, Trustpilot, Reddit)
    • Complaints, rants, or case studies
    • Regulatory/legal friction (if any)
  • Output:
    • List 3–5 areas where improvement is possible
    • Spot patterns of failure or frustration

⏱️ Hour 5: Synthesis + Your Take

  • Summarize what you’ve learned:
    • Key insights, major players, risks, growth vectors
    • 1–2 surprising or non-obvious findings
  • Create a one-pager:
    • 📌 What it is
    • 📈 Why it matters
    • 🔍 Key trends
    • 🚨 Risks
    • 💡 Opportunities
    • 🧠 Your bold take (optional)
  • Optional output: mind map, slide, tweet thread, or blog post

🧰 Bonus Tools:

  • Google Trends — Public interest movement
  • Exploding Topics — Early signals of new topics
  • PubMed / arXiv / JSTOR — Academic takes
  • Notion / Obsidian / Roam — Knowledge capture

✅ Outcome: In 5 hours, you’ll have a working understanding, contextual awareness, and a personal angle on almost anything.