Mental Models+ Bonus Tweets and Resources

This week, instead of doing the Weekly recap I’ll be talking about MENTAL MODELS.

For me this week was all about exploring various mental models but the thing is that if I start giving straight away the resources I used, it won’t make much sense to you without me giving the underlying perspective behind them.

But still for those who want a short list—

BOOKS

• Almanack of Naval Ravikant

• The Great Mental Models by Shane Parrish

• Bhagavad Gita (Each shloka is a mental model in it’s own)

• Meditation and it’s methods by Swami Vivekananda

BLOGS

• FS Blog

• https://www.navalmanack.com/secret-sections

X accounts

• https://x.com/ShaneAParrish

• https://x.com/naval

• Follow All the industry leaders in their respective fields

Today I’ll be breaking down what mental models are and how you can build an entire library of them for yourself.

If you’ve heard of people like Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, you know these guys rely heavily on mental models. They didn’t just stumble onto them, they developed these frameworks intentionally, and it’s one of the big reasons they’ve mastered quick judgment and decision-making.

Mental Models.

In simple terms, mental models are the ways our brain stores information, almost like signposts to guide our thinking.

Ever had those moments where your mind just guides you in a self-talk? That’s mental models at work. They’re essential because they give us quick, reliable judgment. The more experience you gather, the more mental models you accumulate. It’s why experienced people seem to have a better “gut feeling”, their minds have built up frameworks to navigate situations.

But here’s the thing: you don’t have to wait for years of experience to start building mental models. There’s a cheat code! 

Why Mental Models?

Mental models help you compress complex knowledge into accessible shortcuts. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re already gathering them. But industry leaders, gather them consciously or through experience. They know that building up these mental frameworks translates into sharper judgment, faster decisions, and a clearer outlook overall.

Example: If you’ve read about “Opportunity Cost,” that’s a mental model. It’s a framework for evaluating choices by considering what you’re giving up. Leaders don’t just stumble onto these, they study them, remember and apply when the need arises.

How to Build Your Own Library of Mental Models:

1. Read.

   This comes as a surprise to no one but the more you read the more mental frameworks you build on the way.
   

   Read not just the domains you are interested in, read everything you get your hands on.
   

   In the age of AI, a generalist will beat a non-generalist any day!
   
   Read More, Dive in between the lines, relate the knowledge and craft the mental models creatively based on application.

   With this I come to my second point,

2. Reread- Good books are meant to be re-read, because each time you will read you will grab frameworks.

   And that’s a guarantee.

   
   Recently I was re-reading “Meditation and it’s methods” by Swami Vivekananda for the 3rd time. Within a mere 10 pages of reading I came across insights that I never noticed before.

3. Gain Experience. The more you dive into real-world experiences, the more you naturally build up mental models.

   But also reading books and trying to build mental models without having the underlying experience won’t work. Because your brain won’t pick up things that it doesn’t naturally associates to.
   
   Apply whatever you read. If you can’t apply in real-life try to simulate it creatively.

   What ever you learn, frame it well and post on reddit and X, this way you can get feedback on your thoughts and thus improve your constructs.

4. Practice Compressing Insights. Get comfortable summarizing big ideas into simple models or principles. This skill alone can transform your thinking.

The best place to practice and learn this skills is twitter,

I would love to quote @naval here,

Learn from how he compresses ideas, worth entire books of knowledge, in just a few words.
I only picked this skill up once I started writing on twitter.

That’s it for this one,
Keep collecting!

Peace.
~ZenQuill

P.S- It reminds me of when I used to collect CricketAttax and Pokémon cards as a kid. Now, I collect insights and mental models instead. 😂

Some things never change!