May 8, 2019
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney – A Solo Episode About Mental Models & Learning Frameworks
Check out Sean’s Episode Page & Show Notes. Follow Sean on Twitter.
This is a solo episode with Sean where he talks about mental models and how he learns
Key Takeaways
- Recommended books and resources for learning about mental models and how to think better
- Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger
- Poor Charlie’s Almanac
- “For learning about mental models, you won’t find a better resource than the Farnam Street blog
- Shane Parish’s (creator of Farnam Street) new book – The Great Mental Models – is also a good resource
- Check out Naval Ravikant’s How to Get Rich tweet storm
- “Develop into a lifelong self-learner through voracious reading, cultivate curiosity, and strive to become a little wiser every day” – Charlie Munger
- The Feynman Technique For Learning
- Teach it to a child
- This forces you to simplify the concepts
- Review the material over and over until you can explain it to a child
- Organize and simplify
- Turn your notes into a simple story that flows
- Transmit it
- Try conveying the knowledge to someone who understands the subject fairly well
- Teach it to a child
- 5 Mental Models Sean Uses on a Consistent Basis
- Asymmetries
- Look for opportunities in life where the upside is incredibly large and the downside is near negligible (or vice versa)
- Positive examples – starting a podcast, hosting meetups, DMing people on Twitter, writing online
- Negative examples – drunk driving, texting while driving, cheating on your taxes
- Direction Over Speed
- If you’re pointed in the wrong direction, it doesn’t matter how fast you’re traveling
- If you’re locked into your desired destination, all progress is positive, no matter how small – you’ll reach your goal eventually
- Contrast Bias
- How we value things depends on what we compare them with
- Second-Order Thinking
- This is thinking which considers the second- and third-order consequences of your actions
- For example – Eating a chocolate bar might satisfy you in the moment, but will over time create the problem of poor health
- Inversion
- Turning a problem on its head
- If you’re trying to figure out how to live a better life, first consider what might lead to a horrible life – then avoid those things
- “Avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance”
- Asymmetries
- Parting Advice
- Read broadly and think deeply about your own frameworks
These notes were edited by RoRoPa Editing Services
