Interactive graph
Mental Models
Table of Contents
Mental models are thinking shortcuts kept when they survive real decisions.
Key Concept
- Mainstream mental models for decisions and performance - note the ones that earn repeat use.
- A model nobody reaches for is the same problem as a junk-drawer bookmark - recall under pressure is the value.
- Mental models are thinking shortcuts I keep when they survive real decisions.
- Retire the model when real decisions prove it wrong.
- I note the mental models that earn repeat use in real decisions - retire the rest.
Level 1 - Recognize
A mental model is a reusable frame for decisions - keep the few you actually reach for, not every framework you read once.
Level 2 - Explain
Like keeping only the tools in your box that you actually use, a model earns a place when you use it twice under pressure.
Level 3 - Use
After a hard call, name which frame helped - if none did, you are collecting models, not thinking with them.
Level 4 - Connect
A model nobody reaches for is shelf decoration - recall under pressure is the value, not the bookmark count.
Level 5 - Create
Build a small decision kit from Behavioral Economics, Pareto Principle, and Minimum Effective Dose, then keep only the models that improve Decision Quality in repeated choices.
Examples
- Glad I picked the two menu tweaks that actually cut ticket times from twelve on the whiteboard - shelved the rest.
- Waze showed four commute routes - I stuck to the one that saves gas on the Tuesday school run, not the scenic detour.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| alternative | Renewed Mind | Scripture-shaped mind vs worldly thinking shortcuts |
| contradicts | There Is No Perfect Solution | when a model lens beats treating every tradeoff as equal |
| extends | PKM | Thinking shortcuts this hub keeps when they survive real decisions |
