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#095 - George MacGill - Mental Models 102 - The Decision Strikes Back

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Aug 19, 2019

Guest

George MacGill

Join George MacGill, a mental models expert and long-time friend of the show, as he delves into decision-making tools that can upgrade your thinking. They discuss how cities shape ambition and the importance of personal responsibility through mental models like unforced errors and anti-fragility. The conversation also covers the complexities of adult friendships in today's tech-driven world and the significance of unconventional thinking for innovative problem-solving. It's a humorous and insightful journey into the art of making better choices!

01:28:51

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insights

INSIGHT

Cities and Ambitions

Each city whispers its own message, influencing your ambitions and desires.
London whispers the need for material upgrades, like a new car.

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ANECDOTE

Unforced Errors

Chris Willx introduces the concept of unforced errors from tennis.
Unforced errors are mistakes due to poor judgment, not external factors.

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ADVICE

Extreme Ownership

Practice extreme ownership, taking responsibility for everything in your life.
This mindset, exemplified by Jocko Willink, leads to greater control and better outcomes.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Embracing Personal Responsibility: The Unforced Error and Extreme Ownership

03:32 • 5min

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Understanding Anti-Fragility and Personal Responsibility

08:36 • 3min

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Mental Models and Anti-Fragility

11:24 • 11min

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Navigating Adult Friendships and Technology's Impact

22:41 • 23min

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Navigating Mental Models and Decision-Making

45:35 • 18min

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The Power of Final Impressions and Unique Perspectives

01:04:04 • 4min

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Unconventional Thinking and Innovation

01:08:33 • 21min

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Super Thinking

The Big Book of Mental Models

Lauren McCann

Gabriel Weinberg

The Everything Store

Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Brad Stone

The Everything Store is a revealing and definitive biography of Amazon. com and its driven founder, Jeff Bezos. The book chronicles Amazon's journey from its humble beginnings as a mail-order book seller to its transformation into a global retail and technology giant. Brad Stone enjoyed unprecedented access to current and former Amazon employees and Bezos family members, providing a detailed, fly-on-the-wall account of life at Amazon. The book highlights Bezos's relentless pursuit of new markets, his innovative ventures such as the Kindle and cloud computing, and how he transformed retail in a manner comparable to Henry Ford's impact on manufacturing.

Predictably Irrational

The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Dan Ariely

In this revised and expanded edition of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, Dan Ariely uses a series of illuminating experiments to show how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible forces skew our reasoning abilities. Ariely explains how we consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate, and how these behaviors are neither random nor senseless but systematic and predictable. The book covers various aspects of decision-making, from the power of placebos to the effects of social and financial norms, and offers insights into how to make better decisions by understanding these irrational patterns.

Atomic Habits

James Clear

Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth.

Fooled by randomness

the hidden role of chance in life and in the markets

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

In 'Fooled by Randomness', Nassim Nicholas Taleb discusses the pervasive influence of chance and randomness in our lives and financial markets. The book argues that humans tend to underestimate the role of luck and overestimate the role of skill, leading to biases such as hindsight bias, survivorship bias, and the narrative fallacy. Taleb emphasizes the importance of recognizing and coping with uncertainty, and he critiques the tendency to seek deterministic explanations for random events. The book is part of Taleb's Incerto series, which also includes 'The Black Swan', 'The Bed of Procrustes', 'Antifragile', and 'Skin in the Game'.

Endure

Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance

Alex Hutchinson

In 'Endure,' Alex Hutchinson delves into the science and psychology of human endurance, highlighting the complex interplay between the mind and body. The book discusses various physical limits such as pain, muscle, oxygen, heat, thirst, and fuel, and how these are influenced by psychological factors. Hutchinson draws on his experiences as a distance runner and his access to Nike’s secret training project to break the two-hour marathon barrier, providing insights into how individuals can push beyond their perceived limits. The book blends cutting-edge science with gripping storytelling, making it a comprehensive and engaging read on the elastic limits of human performance.

The Black Swan

The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

David Chandler

Nassim Taleb

The Black Swan is a landmark book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb that investigates the phenomenon of highly improbable events with massive impacts. These events, termed Black Swans, are unpredictable, have a significant impact, and are rationalized after the fact to appear less random. Taleb argues that humans are hardwired to focus on specifics rather than generalities, leading to a failure to consider what we don’t know. The book delves into cognitive biases, the limitations of mathematical models, and the importance of robustness and antifragility in navigating a world filled with uncertainty. The second edition includes a new essay, 'On Robustness and Fragility,' offering tools to navigate and exploit a Black Swan world.

I'm joined by long time friend of the show and all round great human George MacGill to re enter the world of Mental Models.

Mental Models are tools you can use to improve your ability to effectively make decisions. Today we are upgrading our minds by thinking about thinking, as we delve into some of mine & George's favourite mental models from Jocko Willink, Paul Graham, Ben Bergeron, Navil Ravikant, Nassim Taleb, David Wong, Rick & Morty and many more.

Extra Stuff:

Follow George on Twitter - https://twitter.com/george__mack

Rick & Morty & Roy - https://youtu.be/szzVlQ653as

David Wong's Article - https://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/

Check out everything I recommend from books to products and help support the podcast at no extra cost to you by shopping through this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom

Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me...

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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx

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Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact

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