Mental models are the secret to making the best out of the world around you
But there is a million of them...
A guide to my favorite mental models:
But there is a million of them...
A guide to my favorite mental models:
Marketing
Luck Surface Area:
“When you do something you’re excited about you will naturally pull others into your orbit.
The more people with whom you share your passion, the more who will be pulled into your orbit.”
Orbits are powerful in marketing, business or life
Luck Surface Area:
“When you do something you’re excited about you will naturally pull others into your orbit.
The more people with whom you share your passion, the more who will be pulled into your orbit.”
Orbits are powerful in marketing, business or life
Sales
Hunting whales vs flies:
5 types of sales prospects
1) Whales
2) Elephants
3) Deers
4) Rabbits
5) Flies
How can you hunt 1,000 whales, 10,000 elephants, 100,000 deers, 1,000,000 rabbits or 10,000,000 flies?
Who do you want to hunt? Why?
Hunting whales vs flies:
5 types of sales prospects
1) Whales
2) Elephants
3) Deers
4) Rabbits
5) Flies
How can you hunt 1,000 whales, 10,000 elephants, 100,000 deers, 1,000,000 rabbits or 10,000,000 flies?
Who do you want to hunt? Why?
(no animals were harmed writing that last tweet)
It's time for a non-hunting mental model for this
Any one have ideas?
It's time for a non-hunting mental model for this
Any one have ideas?
Military
Winning Hearts and Minds:
“In which one side seeks to prevail not by the use of superior force, but by making emotional or intellectual appeals to sway supporters of the other side.”
Key: if you speak to people's hearts and the minds, you are speaking to human nature
Winning Hearts and Minds:
“In which one side seeks to prevail not by the use of superior force, but by making emotional or intellectual appeals to sway supporters of the other side.”
Key: if you speak to people's hearts and the minds, you are speaking to human nature
Marketing
Compromise effect:
“A person is more likely to choose the middle option of a selection set rather than the extreme options”
Point: many startups live or die because or pricing
Price accordingly
Compromise effect:
“A person is more likely to choose the middle option of a selection set rather than the extreme options”
Point: many startups live or die because or pricing
Price accordingly
Strategy
Sustainable Competitive Advantage:
“Structural factors that allow a firm to outcompete its rivals for many years.”
Never lose sight of developing a stronger sustainable competitive advantage
Key word: sustainable
Sustainable Competitive Advantage:
“Structural factors that allow a firm to outcompete its rivals for many years.”
Never lose sight of developing a stronger sustainable competitive advantage
Key word: sustainable
Explanation
First principles thinking:
Think like a scientist. Start with questions like
1) What are we absolutely sure is true?
2) What has been proven?
Dig deep until you have uncovered undeniable truths about a situation
First principles thinking:
Think like a scientist. Start with questions like
1) What are we absolutely sure is true?
2) What has been proven?
Dig deep until you have uncovered undeniable truths about a situation
Physics
Half life:
“The time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value."
-- What's the half-life of a tweet? Short and sweet
-- What's the half-life of your product? Hopefully long
Understanding half-life is undeniably important
Half life:
“The time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value."
-- What's the half-life of a tweet? Short and sweet
-- What's the half-life of your product? Hopefully long
Understanding half-life is undeniably important
Brainstorming
Paradigm shift:
“A fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline.”
This term is overused (I know, I know) but is still an incredibly powerful concept
Paradigm shift:
“A fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline.”
This term is overused (I know, I know) but is still an incredibly powerful concept
Brainstorming
Maslow’s hammer:
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Point: You are either a hammer, a nail or completely different
Maslow’s hammer:
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Point: You are either a hammer, a nail or completely different
Reasoning
Likely
"Thinking that just because something is possible means that it is likely"
Just because you think it might happen, doesn't mean it will
This induces fear & stress
It happens to me and probably happens to you
Good to keep an eye on it
Likely
"Thinking that just because something is possible means that it is likely"
Just because you think it might happen, doesn't mean it will
This induces fear & stress
It happens to me and probably happens to you
Good to keep an eye on it
Negotiation
Active listening:
“Requires that the listener fully concentrates, understands, responds and then remembers what is being said.”
Point: the best negotiation tactic is to shut up and listen
Active listening:
“Requires that the listener fully concentrates, understands, responds and then remembers what is being said.”
Point: the best negotiation tactic is to shut up and listen
Military
Beachhead:
“A temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area while other reinforcements help out until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived.”
Every great startup begins as a beachhead
Beachhead:
“A temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area while other reinforcements help out until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived.”
Every great startup begins as a beachhead
Learning
Spacing Effect:
“The phenomenon whereby learning is greater when studying is spread out over time, as opposed to studying the same amount of time in a single session.”
Point: you don't need to read 52 books in 52 weeks
Spacing Effect:
“The phenomenon whereby learning is greater when studying is spread out over time, as opposed to studying the same amount of time in a single session.”
Point: you don't need to read 52 books in 52 weeks
Music
Coda:
“A term used in music primarily to designated a passage that brings a piece to an end.”
Great stories need an ending, some sort of call-to-action
That means your product, your landing page or your YouTube video
Coda:
“A term used in music primarily to designated a passage that brings a piece to an end.”
Great stories need an ending, some sort of call-to-action
That means your product, your landing page or your YouTube video
The end
If you enjoyed this thread, toss me a follow at @gregisenberg
I thread weekly on internet communities, startup insights and what's on my mind
If you enjoyed this thread, toss me a follow at @gregisenberg
I thread weekly on internet communities, startup insights and what's on my mind
I'm starting to write more on my newsletter.
My newsletter gives me more room to write more insightful/in-depth pieces than Twitter's 240 characters
You probably should subscribe
Here how: latecheckout.substack.com
My newsletter gives me more room to write more insightful/in-depth pieces than Twitter's 240 characters
You probably should subscribe
Here how: latecheckout.substack.com
Last thing:
If you enjoy reading about mental models, I recommend the book Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models by Gabriel Weinberg
It's 10/10
amazon.ca/Super-Thinking…
If you enjoy reading about mental models, I recommend the book Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models by Gabriel Weinberg
It's 10/10
amazon.ca/Super-Thinking…
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