MentalModels

NOTE: A free version - Mental Models Lite - is now available. Both APPs work on the iPad. Simply turn to landscape mode - as per screenshots. Also available for the iPad is a 160-page PDF (see support URL).

Ever wanted to out-think a smarter friend?

Faced with something we dont understand, we try to fit the unknown jigsaw piece into our jigsaw set - those things we do understand. But people tend to think inside their subject silos. So economists jump to their subject ideas, engineers reach for their techniques and so on.

There is a better way.

By grabbing the most appropriate idea, regardless of subject area, we gain deeper insight. Think Mental Models provides over 120 thinking models, covering everything from business to behavior. A very big jigsaw set.

The Think Mental Models framework was pioneered by Warren Buffetts business partner, Charles Munger. According to Buffett, Mr. Munger has ‘the best 30-second mind in the world. He goes from A to Z in one move. He sees the essence of everything before you even finish the sentence’ (Forbes, January 22, 1996).

Mr. Munger has explained his approach in lectures and books. Essentially, he thinks by using the BIG IDEAS from the major disciplines. He has a list of these ideas (mental models) in his mind and quickly picks the one(s) applicable to the given situation, much as a pilot automatically goes through a checklist prior to take-off.

So, why not take the plunge and join the thinking world of Buffett and Munger? After all, its how people like US get really smart.