When you land on an explanation, ask one more time: what else could this be?

The first plausible explanation tends to end the search, because plausible feels like solved. Your mind is built for a working answer rather than the best one, and once it has something serviceable it stops generating alternatives. The cost shows up when the first explanation is merely convenient, which happens most often when it confirms what you already suspected.

Make one extra pass a habit. After you land on a reason, force a second candidate even if it seems weaker. Holding two possible explanations for a while keeps you accurate in a way certainty cannot.