#48: Intelligent thinking
The power of mental models
Hello!
After a few stellar Q&As, it feels great to be back at the Pass It On writing desk. Especially with so many new subscribers joining the fold. Welcome 🙌
This week, we're going to talk about mental models.
Mental models are tools for intelligent thinking. Though industry agnostic, they're a popular topic in the tech world, and that's how I discovered them—through joining Sana Labs. Keen to improve my decision-making this summer, I went all in on a mental models training course. While only 50% through, I'm seeing some positive results. And since one of the best ways to learn something is to explain it to someone else, I'm here to put my knowledge to the test!
Let’s get to it.
What are mental models?
Mental models are concepts and frameworks that help us understand and reason about the world around us. Even if you're new to the term, you carry plenty of mental models in your mind already. For example, you might be familiar with Supply and Demand from economics, Loss Aversion from psychology, or Relativity from physics. These are mental models. None of them are perfect, but all of them are useful.
Why are mental models useful?
Because they help you think better and make smarter decisions. The more mental models you know, the more you can apply as a lens to any given situation.
But here's the challenge: the more expertise you develop in a certain area, the less likely you are to expand your set of mental models. Instead, you rely on the few mental models you know and start explaining every problem through that narrow worldview. That limits your potential to find the best solution to those problems.
How can I expand my set of mental models?
Start by researching the models that have the broadest applicability to daily life. Farnam Street and James Clear have already done this work. They've created mental model shortlists from disciplines like chemistry, physics, economics, engineering, mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. Within this shortlist, go where your curiosity takes you. To apply a model, you need to understand it, so it helps to be interested.
How do I apply a mental model in daily life?
Let's take an example. Leverage.
"Give me a firm place to stand and a lever, and I can move the Earth."
— Archimedes
Leverage is a mental model from engineering. It comes from the law of the lever: when a lever amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, we get a mechanical advantage. In other words, we achieve more with less.
Humans have been applying the concept of leverage for thousands of years. Scissors, door handles, fishing rods—they're all levers that generate disproportionate strength.
But levers can be mental as well as physical. Let's say I wanted to spend less time editing Pass It On. By downloading a writing tool like Grammarly, I save countless hours of googling punctuation and grammar rules in the long run. In this example, Grammarly is the lever. I only need to download it once to achieve disproportionate ongoing benefits.
Once you realise that leverage is about achieving more with less, it can reframe virtually every task on your to-do list. Need to pay your phone bill at the end of every month? Set up a direct debit and never miss a payment again. Need to train a new hire on your fundraising strategy? Record the training and re-use it with subsequent new joiners. By prioritising the tasks that create long-term gains, your to-do list should end up shorter.
The same benefit applies to more strategic decisions. After all, every team has limited time and resources. Looking at your backlog through the leverage lens should make it easier to prioritise.
Want to know the best part? Investing in mental models is itself an example of leverage! The time you spend understanding several new models will disproportionately benefit your decision-making in the long run.
Are you familiar with mental models? If yes, how have they helped you? Let’s get a discussion going:
Thanks as always for reading,
Lauren