Mental Models

Notes

• Mental models are frameworks, worldviews, representations, or explanations of how something works. They're how we understand the world.

• They shape the connections we create among systems.

• They're thinking tools that we use to solve problems and make decisions.

• They help us overcome the hyperbolic discounting problem.

• Without mental models, you rely on your current emotions or instincts.

• They're imperfect but helpful.

• The bigger your mental model toolbox, the more likely you're to have the suitable models to see reality.

  • If you look at the problem individually, you've got a blind spot.

• For instance, imagine that there is a party. We can see it in these ways:

  • Business: the profit by selling invitations or drinks.
  • Psychology: the music and the mood it creates on the participants.
  • Anthropology: the human interactions with the party and others.

References

• James Clear. Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edge

• fs. Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (~100 Models Explained)

• Julian Shapiro. Mental models

Backlinks

• The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment