Mental Models

Mental Models are different ways of thinking.  By using multiple models you can improve your understanding of a subject.  Below is a list i had chatgpt make.  Hope you enjoy.


1. **Occam's Razor:** The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

2. **Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule):** Roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.

3. **Circle of Competence:** Focus on what you know best.

4. **Hindsight Bias:** The tendency to see events as having been predictable after they have already occurred.

5. **Confirmation Bias:** The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions.

6. **Inversion:** Solve problems by considering them backward.

7. **First Principles Thinking:** Breaking down problems into fundamental truths.

8. **Second-Order Thinking:** Consider the potential consequences of each decision.

9. **Black Swan Theory:** The idea that rare and unpredictable events have a massive impact.

10. **Fermi Paradox:** The apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of contact with such civilizations.

11. **Law of Diminishing Returns:** At some point, adding more of one factor will not yield the same increase in output.

12. **Dunbar's Number:** A suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships.

13. **Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:** A psychological theory about human motivation.

14. **Parkinson's Law:** Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

15. **Zero-Sum Game:** A situation in which one participant's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of other participants.

16. **Game Theory:** The study of mathematical models of strategic interaction among rational decision-makers.

17. **The Peter Principle:** In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.

18. **Dunning-Kruger Effect:** The less competent an individual is at a specific task, the more they overestimate their ability.

19. **Tipping Point:** The point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change.

20. **The Red Queen Hypothesis:** The idea that organisms must constantly adapt and evolve because they are in competition with ever-evolving organisms.

21. **Margin of Safety:** A principle of investing in which an investor only purchases securities when the market price is significantly below its intrinsic value.

22. **Eisenhower Matrix:** A method for organizing tasks based on their urgency and importance.

23. **Occam's Broom:** The process of subconsciously ignoring data that contradicts your preconceived notions.

24. **Toulmin Model:** A method of analyzing arguments, assessing the strength of a claim and understanding how it might be countered.

25. **Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect:** The phenomenon of experts believing news articles on topics outside of their field of expertise even after acknowledging that articles written in the same publication that cover topics within their field of expertise are error-ridden and full of misunderstanding.

26. **Nash Equilibrium:** A solution concept of a non-cooperative game involving two or more players, where no player has an incentive to change their strategy given the strategy of the others.

27. **Sunk Cost Fallacy:** The tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment in money, effort, or time has been made.

28. **Pygmalion Effect:** The phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform.

29. **The Law of Unintended Consequences:** The outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen.

30. **Kaizen:** A Japanese term meaning "change for better" or "continuous improvement."

I highly recommend researching mental models and improving your problem solving skills.