Sunday, March 18, 2018

THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT MENTAL MODELS

Human beings are learning and model-making machines. Mental models are mental software. The closer we're able to align our mental maps of the world with the terrain, the more likely we are to make smart judgements — or, in the language of the intellectual ambition currently in vogue, there are those of us simply trying to be less wrong
Critical Mental Models are the Batman utility belt of problem-solving: the fewest number of items to help you succeed in the widest range of situations. In my view, these are 6 of the best:

1) Charlie MungerCharlie Munger popularised the concept of building a "latticework of mental models" and nearly all guides on mental models refer back to him. Munger’s famed 1995 talk on The Psychology of Human Misjudgment runs over an hour, so you may like to start with this 15-minute abridged/animated version:


https://youtu.be/7-fe01CA3vc


2) Farnam StreetShane Parrish has created an enormously valuable resource dedicated to helping people master mental models, which includes a main list of 113 models to get going. This site is probably the single best guide to mental models anywhere on the web and well worth bookmarking.
FS Mental Models
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3) James ClearJames Clear, who writes some of the best articles on productivity and personal development, has sorted through over 1,000 mental models and compiled the best into a short list, which he continually updates.
JC Mental Models
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4) Gabriel WeinbergGabriel Weinberg wrote a popular Medium post in 2016, providing brief descriptions of approximately 190 mental models that he finds repeatedly useful.
190 Mental Models
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5) Michael SimmonsMichael Simmons collected 650+ mental models, which culminated in an infographic called The Top 12 Most Useful and Universal Mental Models.
12 Mental Models
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6) Theo Winter
Theo created a list of 80 useful models to help clarify his thinking as part of my own personal development journey