{"id":757,"date":"2022-07-17T19:20:20","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T19:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ims-online.com\/?p=757"},"modified":"2022-07-17T19:20:21","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T19:20:21","slug":"developing-mental-models-to-improve-your-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ims-online.com\/index.php\/2022\/07\/17\/developing-mental-models-to-improve-your-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"DEVELOPING MENTAL MODELS TO IMPROVE YOUR THINKING"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Charlie Munger provides some insight into why developing mental models is important. He states, \u201cWell, the first rule is that you can\u2019t really know anything if you just remember isolated facts and try and bang\u2019em back. If the facts don\u2019t hang together on a latticework of theory, you don\u2019t have them in a usable form. You\u2019ve got to have mental models in your head. And you\u2019ve got to array your experience both vicarious and direct on this latticework of models.\u201d Working toward developing mental models to improve your thinking is critical for your success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a latticework of proven models will help you make better decisions. But where to begin? There are certain mental models that broadly apply in many situations. I have found the following models to be extremely useful in many different situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you need to realize that each one of the following models needs to be \u2018road tested\u2019 and understood by you. You will not get the same value from these models unless you have personalized and contextualized them. How will you know when you can move on to the next one? When the model you learned pops into your head naturally at the appropriate time and in the right situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INVERSE THINKING<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone would benefit from thinking about problems both forward and backward. In other words, you are thinking about the opposite of what you want. So instead of being right more, you are trying to be wrong less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may seem counterintuitive, thinking about the opposite of what you want, but it is an essential tool of many great leaders. It is also a good way to avoid certain biases like confirmation bias. One question to ask that would be an example of inverse thinking would be, \u201cWhat if the evidence did not confirm what you believe or think to be true?\u201d Or perhaps you focus on what you want to avoid instead of focusing on how to achieve success? We can learn many lessons from studying why people fail as they can from why they succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common applications to use this type of thinking every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n