Lauren McCann

Super Thinking

1. IDEA 1

   Mental models improve thinking

   Weinberg and McCann argue that mental models, simple ideas from many fields, help people think more clearly. Collecting a range of models lets you approach problems from different angles. It also helps avoid using the same tool for every problem.

2. IDEA 2

   Invert the problem

   The authors describe inversion, thinking about a problem backwards. Asking how to fail can reveal how to succeed. Instead of asking how to achieve a goal, you ask what would make it fail, and then avoid those things.

3. IDEA 3

   Start from first principles

   The authors encourage reasoning from first principles, breaking problems down to basic truths. This avoids relying on assumptions. Like a builder checking the foundation, you ask what is surely true and build up from there.

All 8 ideas from Super Thinking →