Book Notes: Rebel Ideas – The Power of Diverse Thinking

There’s too much focus on individual performance, not enough on group performance. However, the most challenging work today is done in groups because problems are too complex for one person. Cognitive Diverse Groups Perform Better Cognitive diverse groups have less blindspots We look at the world through limited frames (see [[Mental Model]] and [[Framing]]), which make our perspective uniquely biased and contain blind spots. We are oblivious to these blind spots (= perspective blindness), which makes us underestimate how much we can learn from people with different perspectives....

August 4, 2023 · 8 min

From Idea to Execution: My Journey of Validating a SaaS Idea

I’m on a quest to find profitable micro SaaS ideas. Validation is hard and messy and while I haven’t hit gold yet, I’m reflecting and improving on the process to increase my velocity with this project. To that end, let me share a recent journey of validating a SaaS idea in the product analytics space. Ideas on paper It all started with an idea. I sat down for some grueling minutes and just punched out a few micro SaaS ideas that came to mind....

June 27, 2023 · 6 min

The Power of the Right Incentives

Don’t ask a barber if you need a haircut. – Charlie Munger The premise behind the model is that the behavior of humans (and indeed, many animals) can be shaped by rewards (positive reinforcement) and punishments (negative reinforcement). Actions that are rewarded are likely to be repeated, and actions that are punished or lead to undesirable outcomes are likely to be avoided. This simple model is surprisingly powerful in predicting human behavior in a wide range of contexts....

June 6, 2023 · 3 min

Finding the Best Solution: Opposing Sides Debate the Fate of Prague’s Historic Bridge

Making decisions is hard and I found decision-making skills challenging to practice. One exercise that I’m currently exploring is the deliberate use of mental models to analyze case studies. This one is about the article “Like knocking down the Eiffel tower, battle to save historic Prague bridge“. Summary of the main points The Vyšehrad bridge in Prague is facing demolition due to a plan from Czech Railways to replace it with a modern structure....

January 27, 2023 · 6 min

The Fall of the Maya

This post is a short analysis of a history article. My goal was to practically apply mental models in order to improve my thinking. Question to answer: What led to the Mayan’s downfall? Article Summary The Mayan Empire was centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, and reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth century A.D. Unlike other scattered Indigenous populations of Mesoamerica, the Maya were centered in one geographical block and remained relatively secure from invasion by other Mesoamerican peoples....

January 13, 2023 · 4 min