Think Better with These Tools

Charlie Munger’s 5 Mental Models for Smarter Decisions:

1. Inversion⁰Flip the problem.
• Ask: “What would cause failure?”
• Make an “I Don’t Do List”
• Avoid mistakes first

2. Second-Order Thinking⁰See beyond the obvious.
• Ask: “And then what?”
• Anticipate… pic.twitter.com/HYfYfKbf7Z

— Steve Burns (@SJosephBurns) February 23, 2026

Charlie Munger had a couple of core principles:

"Don't reinvent the wheel." Use what is known to work.

"It is easier to avoid mistakes than be a genius."

Mental models are valuable tools which help decision-making. When you have a difficult decision to make, apply some of these mental models. Writing down your thought process and the eventual outcome help you with future decisions. 

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