Models

A personal reference of mental models: reusable thinking tools for decision making, prioritization, learning, and problem solving. Each page follows the same shape — what the idea is, when to use it, how to apply it, and what to watch out for — so you can skim the list and dive into whatever fits the problem in front of you.

Subdividing

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Breaking a large, complex problem into smaller parts that are each easier to understand and solve.

Sufficiency vs Maximization

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Contrasting decision styles: stopping at a "good enough" option versus searching for the objectively best one.

Technium

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Kevin Kelly's term for the self-organizing, interconnected system that all of humanity's technology forms together.

The One Thing

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Gary Keller's framework for finding the single highest-leverage action to focus on before anything else.

Third Order Effect

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Tracing a decision's consequences three steps out, beyond the immediate and second-order effects.

Tipping Point

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
The point at which small, incremental changes accumulate enough to trigger a sudden, large-scale shift.

Top of Mind

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
The idea, brand, or option that comes to a person's attention first, without prompting, when a category is mentioned.

Twaddle

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
A Munger tendency: people feel pressure to speak or answer at length even when they have little of substance to say.

Vulnerability

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Choosing to show up and be seen with uncertain outcome, which research links to trust, connection, and courage rather than weakness.

Waterfall

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
A sequential project approach where each phase (requirements, design, build, test, release) finishes before the next begins.

Wisdom of Crowds

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
Aggregating many independent, diverse judgments can produce an estimate more accurate than most individual experts.

Working Memory

· 2 min · Quick read · Joost van der Laan
The limited mental workspace that holds and manipulates a small amount of information for immediate use.