The Value of Play As a Driver of Innovation
Innovation does not always have to be the result of serious study and agonizing progress. As Steven Johnson so eloquently argues in Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World, many of the activities …
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The Butterfly Effect: How Tiny Actions Unleash Global Consequences
What if saving one life could doom millions? In Stephen King’s 11/22/63, a man named Jake discovers a portal that transports him back to 1958. Determined to prevent the assassination of President John …
Turning Pro: The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals
Why do some people consistently outperform and achieve remarkable results while others struggle to tread water? There is one thing that stands out more than others: mindset. If you want results, you …
How Filter Bubbles Distort Reality: Everything You Need to Know
We find ourselves in a filter bubble any time we’re only surrounded by views and opinions we agree with, while being sheltered from opposing perspectives. Filter bubbles distort our understanding of …
Critical Mass and Tipping Points: How To Identify Inflection Points Before They Happen
Critical mass, which is sometimes referred to as tipping points, is one of the most effective mental models you can use to understand the world. The concept can explain everything from viral cat …
Attrition Warfare: When Even Winners Lose
When warring opponents use similar approaches and possess similar weapons, trench warfare becomes inevitable. The winning side usually has a slight advantage in production capability or resources. …
Zero — Invented or Discovered?
It seems almost a bizarre question. Who thinks about whether zero was invented or discovered? And why is it important? Answering this question, however, can tell you a lot about yourself and how you …
The Trojan Horse: When True Intents Are Concealed
A Trojan Horse is an innocuous appearing container for hiding something within to get past defenses or some other obstacle. Trojan Horses can be used for both good and evil. Here’s how to recognize …
Human Misjudgment and the American Revolution
We try to look at mental models in history through the lens of people who got it right, but once in a while, it’s beneficial to examine a model through the lens of those who got it wrong. In this …
Active Listening: The Master Key to Effective Communication
“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” ― M. Scott Peck *** The Basics The sense that we are not being listened to is one of the most frustrating feelings …
Marc Garneau on the Future of Transportation
Former military officer, astronaut, engineer (and current Minister of Transport) Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) and I discuss the future of transportation, space, information flow in politics and what it …
Activation Energy: Why Getting Started Is the Hardest Part
The beginning of any complex or challenging endeavor is always the hardest part. Not all of us wake up and jump out of bed ready for the day. Some of us, like me, need a little extra energy to …
Counterinsurgency: Fighting Back
The Basics For an accurate definition of counterinsurgency (and the flipside, insurgency), we can look to one of the definitive texts on the topic. In Counterinsurgency, David Kilcullen writes: An …
All Models Are Wrong
How is your journey towards understanding Farnam Street’s latticework of mental models going? Is it proving useful? Changing your view of the world? If the answer is that it’s going well that’s good. …
Mutually Assured Destruction: When Not to Play
Mutually assured destruction is a military mental model with powerful applications in life and business. It refers to a situation where two parties are in a stalemate, and neither can make a move …
People Don’t Follow Titles: Necessity and Sufficiency in Leadership
“Colonel Graff: You have a habit of upsetting your commander. Ender Wiggin: I find it hard to respect someone just because they outrank me, sir.” — Orson Scott Card *** Many leaders …