In Rene Descartes book, Discourse on Method, he devises four premises to the right steps of reasoning.
1. Accept nothing as true which is not presented to the mind so clearly and distinctly that there is no reason to doubt it.
2. Break problems down into as many smaller problems as possible.
3. Begin with what is most simple and easily understood and build on this by degrees to large and more complex matters.
4. Review the entire chain of thinking to ensure nothing is omitted.