Mental Models are a way to think and understand the world around us. They help us navigate through the situations in a better way.
This issue is Part 1 of the series of posts I plan to share. It includes the mental models that work well for me, the ones that I would like to adopt or learn more about.
Without much ado, lets get started - in no particular order.
Eisenhower Matrix
Feeling overwhelmed. Not enough time to think and work on important tasks. Eisenhower matrix comes to the rescue. This is a Tool created by 34th US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was also the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during WW2.
Trick: Categorize the tasks at hand on 2 dimensions - Important Vs Urgent. Then use the below guide to come out of the clutches. I have tried to make the guide as self-explanatory I could manage.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
Helps understand how well you understand something or where are you in your learning journey on a topic :). Confused - You might have heard people saying these statements - “Incompetent people think they are much better than they actually” are or the corollary: “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” I have seen this happen very often when learning a new topic - one tends to think they have become ‘know it all’ in one go. This tool helps us to avoid overestimating our knowledge as well as avoid getting anxious if results take time to show up.
Trick: Try to differentiate local maxima from global maxima. Non-math folks if the previous sentence did not make sense - do not worry. Please refer to the below guide.
The Knowledge Pyramid
Continuing on the topic of “knowledge” from 2nd Mental model above. This “Knowledge Pyramid” is explained in the book: “Fundamentals of Software Architecture” by Mark Richards and Neal Ford. Anyone interested in moving towards Architect Path this book is a must read.
We have been talking since ages on different levels of knowledge required to be successful in Developer vs Architect roles. This mental model helps in understanding the difference using the dimensions of Depth and Breadth of knowledge and is useful for anyone transitioning from Developer to an Architect role. Take a look below.
Hope you like the new series on Mental Models. Part 2/n would be coming soon. Do share your thoughts - it will help me include more relevant content in the newsletter.
PS: The drawings you see have been created using Excalidraw. Try it. Its awesome!
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