The field guide for clearer thinking. Nine essential thinking tools for sharper awareness, better decision making, and more creative problem solving.
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED FIRST INSTALLMENT IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLING SERIES 'THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS'.
Solve problems. Think with clarity. Achieve your goals. The secret to better decision-making is learning things that won't change. Mastering a small number of versatile concepts with broad applicability enables you to rapidly grasp new areas, identify patterns, and understand how the world works. Don't waste your time on knowledge with an expiry date - focus on the fundamentals. The Farnam Street latticework of mental models gives you the durable cognitive tools you need to avoid problems and make better decisions. A mental model is a representation of how something works. Constructing mental models helps you to navigate the world efficiently and intelligently. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have found mental models indispensable in both solving problems and preventing them in the first place. Cultivating stronger mental models is one of the most powerful things you can do to become a better thinker.

The Great Mental Models: Volume 1 covers essential general thinking models. Formal education doesn't prepare you to make decisions in the real world. This volume details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models they didn't teach you in school which you can use right away to improve how clearly you understand the world. Discover the forces governing the universe and how to focus your efforts so you can harness them to your advantage, rather than fight them or worse yet-- ignore them. Volume 1 will teach you how to: Eliminate blind spots by learning to distinguish between maps and territory Increase your chances of success in any endeavor by staying within your circle of competence Unleash creative ability and navigate complex situations with ease through first principles thinking Expand your conception of what's possible by carrying out thought experiments See opportunities others miss using second-order thinking Improve the accuracy of your decisions with probabilistic thinking Invert problems to avoid disaster Leverage Occam's razor to bypass unnecessary complexity And so much more...
Mastering The Great Mental Models helps you thrive in an uncertain world. The right cognitive tools prepare you for any