Mental Models are the multitool your brain needs
TL;DR — Mental models are amazing tools that can help you think more clearly and better understand the world around you. I’m opening up my (growing) personal library of mental models for your use. Enjoy!
You can find my mental models library here.
I’m a huge fan of mental models. Turns out, so is James Clear, author of the bestseller Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
James Clear offers an approachable definition of mental models:
A mental model is an explanation of how something works. The phrase “mental model” is an overarching term for any sort of concept, framework, or worldview that you carry around in your mind.
Mental models are a treasure trove of new ways of thinking and approaching challenges from simple everyday decision-making and time management to understanding macro-level economics. The powerful utility of mental models is they can be applied to the simplest of ideas to the most complex. The other non-obvious benefit of mental models is that most of them can be described and understood in a couple sentences, making them very accessible to most anyone, no PhD required.
Another notable fan of mental models is Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, who has stated:
80 or 90 important (mental) models will carry about 90% of the freight in making you a worldly‑wise person.
Charlie Munger has become legendary, not only for his success with investment partner Warren Buffett, but also for his method of using mental models in understanding (and explaining) countless worldly ideas. A quick search online reveals numerous examples of Munger using mental models throughout his career. You’ll find lots of nuggets in Munger’s writings and videos.
When I caught the mental models bug, I started archiving as many as I could find in my personal Notion-based library. I finally decided to begin sharing my collection of mental models to entrepreneurs, builders, investors, innovators, and basically anyone looking for new perspectives on approaching life.
You can find my mental models library here.
Caveat: My library is a work in progress with new models and helpful resources being added regularly. I hope it captures your intellectual curiosity and provides insight wherever you may need it.
Two Asks: 1) If you’ve found insight in a particular mental model you’d like others to know about, post it in the comments below, and 2) spread the love by sharing the link above to those in your network who may find it helpful.
Before you go! Here are a few tips on using these mental models:
- When browsing the hundreds of mental models available, it’s very useful to consider each model outside of its specific discipline or categorization. The serendipitous nature of your exploration of mental models will yield surprising insights.
- On that note, the way these models are grouped together is imperfect at best. Some models may even be listed twice in different categories, if applicable. If you have recommendations for improvement, by all means send me a message or add a comment directly on Notion.
- The explanation for each mental model isn’t meant to be exhaustive, just enough information to educate you on the model. I highly encourage you to dive deeper into models that grab your attention. There is an insane amount of information on mental models available on the internet. It’s ok, don’t be afraid to go down that rabbit hole.
- This list of models in my library is ever growing, with several hundred more models needing to be added (perhaps thousands of undiscovered models). Bookmark the landing page and check in occasionally.
