Life, as they say, is unpredictable. It is filled with variables, alternatives, and branching paths that require a person to respond in the best possible manner in order to achieve optimum results.
An adaptive mindset understands that each problem and situation requires a different set of solutions. Coming to those solutions, in turn, requires a person to see things from a different perspective.
This is where mental models come into play as they help a person process information efficiently and come up with the best possible response. And believe it or not, you may have unknowingly used these models before.
The Map is not the Territory
This mental model simply espouses that the map of what we call reality is not, in fact, reality itself. It is merely an imperfect image of what we think is real, obvious, and logical and thus might operate in a way that we do not expect of.
The most common application of this model is the phrase “thinking outside the box”. Simply put, one must not restrict themselves to what is procedural and directly apparent in order to respond to a situation.
The Circle of Competence
A mind that is focused on the ego and not on one’s limitations can expose a person to a number of pitfalls. On the other hand, if you have a full grasp of where you are competent (and consequently, lacking at) often gives you a competitive edge over other people.
If you know where you are the weakest, you know where to improve. And if you know where you the strongest, you know how you can contribute in an effort to bring out the best possible outcomes.
Inversion
A particularly potent model, the Inversion method simply involves you flipping the sequence and starting your deductions from the end. Instead of approaching a problem from the most logical path (forward), try to think of the outcome first and then work your way to that problem.
If you already have the solution set, you remove almost all obstacles that stop you from producing that outcome. In some cases, even the problem that started this sequence will serve as a mere footnote to you achieving success.
First Principles
The best way to tackle a complicated problem is to simplify it. Think of the problem as a machine. In its entirety, it is a complex network of parts and functions. But if you strip it down to its most basic of components, you have a clearer idea of how things functions and why.
The First Principles model helps you separate the truest facts from what are merely assumptions. When all that remains are the essentials to that problem, you can start building on it using your knowledge and skills to come up with a unique solution.
The Thought Experiment
This model is used in disciplines like physics and philosophy as it helps a person understand what is known to determine what can be known. How it works is quite simple: when faced with a scenario, all that you have to do is to evaluate all the possible outcomes out of that scenario and what conditions must be met in order to produce those outcomes.
Doing so, you minimize the margin of error in your decision making while opening yourself up to avenues that you once thought were impossible.
Probabilistic Thinking
As the name would imply, this mental model is reliant on one’s mathematical and logical skills. Not only will you have to come up with a series of possible outcomes for a specific scenario, but you will also have to arrange them in order of their probability.
This model requires you to adopt a perspective of the world as a series of sequences produced by a set of complex factors. By knowing which of these outcomes are most likely to happen, you can prepare for each accordingly while focusing your efforts on the most accurate path possible.
Second-Order Thinking
Most people are smart enough to think of the most logical outcome of their decisions. It’s this First-Order Thinking that helps a person secure the same favorable outcome as everybody else.
A wiser person, on the other hand, thinks two steps forward or more. This is the Second-Order of Thinking which requires a person not only consider the most direct consequence of their actions but also the consequences of those consequences. This long-term form of planning allows you to prepare for almost every unfavorable outcome that your actions will produce.
Occam’s Razor
In some cases, the simplest solutions are explanations are more likely than complex ones. Instead of wasting your time trying to figure out every possible scenario, you pick the ones that are the simplest to understand and base your decisions around them.
This mental model is ideal if you have a tendency to hesitate in making a decision as you factor in and disprove all possible complex scenarios. This is what is simply called as Paralysis by Analysis.
Hanlon’s Razor
One of the most prevalent logical pitfalls that we often fall into is immediately perceiving negative intent. If something happens, we jump to the conclusion that it occurred because someone wants an outcome to happen at the expense of everybody else.
Perceiving negative intent is beneficial for survival. However, in some cases, it can be detrimental to your well-being. Hanlon’s Razor is a mental model that is built around one premise:
“Never attribute to Malice that what is easily explained by mere Stupidity”
By not quickly assuming that all bad outcomes are produced by negative stimuli (or malevolent actors), one’s perspective immediately shifts focus from finding blame to finding opportunities.
This model demands that one must be objective at all times, always considering that no person is immune from making mistakes. Things happen due to a number of reasons, be it intentional or otherwise. The one that contains the least amount of negative intent, more often than not, will be the most likely explanation.
