Thought Stack: Design Principles, Mental Models, & Cognitive Biases

Latest Episodes:

TS 23: The Wolf of Fitness - Depression, Jail, and Books Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

In today’s episode, you’re going to meet Kane Sumabat. I found out about Kane when I realized I wanted to enter my thirties in my best physical shape, so I filled up my Instagram with tons of inspiring individuals.

Kane is my favorite. At 49 years old his physique is impeccable. With someone with over 30 years of commitment and experience, Kevin and I had to see how his brain ticks…

Kane took us on quite the journey and you have to give it up to him for being so open with his trials and tribulations.

We learn about his battle over the years with depression, how the Great Gatsby showed him how to almost never miss a gym session in 30 years, and even what landed him in jail for a month and what he’d rather do than go back...

Send him some love on Instagram: @timbahwolf

TS 22: Asymmetric Information - Winning The War of Knowledge Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

The concept of information asymmetry seems fairly obvious from its name. However, as a mental model, it deserves deeper study to fully understand all of its nuances.

At its most basic, information asymmetry describes a situation where two parties have different quantities or qualities of information. When one person has either more or better information than another, they have a massive advantage.

This mental model shows up a lot in investing, but can be applied in many areas of life.

For example, I remember being intuitively aware of information asymmetry during my poker days, despite not knowing the concept by name.

Be sure to check out the in-depth article on ThoughtStack.co.

TS 21: How To Lie With Statistics Jun 18, 2017

Show notes

We need to stop using statistics to communicate with the public.

Don’t get me wrong, statistics is a valuable tool for certain applications. Informing the public is not one of those applications.

You might be thinking, “That’s a little extreme...why?”

Simple:

The average (mode) of society is not statistically literate enough to avoid being manipulated.

To combat this, I recommend you read How To Lie With Statistics to get a basic understanding of how people, organizations, and even governments use statistics to further their own agendas.

Make sure you check out the full article at ThoughtStack.co

TS 20: When "Good Enough" Is Better Than Perfect Jun 12, 2017

Show notes

How do we know when we should put in the effort to make the best choice, product, or decision, versus picking something that is simply “good enough?”

The answer is the mental model of maximizing vs. satisficing.

We Have Too Many Options for Unimportant Things

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz notes that as our options for every aspect of our lives have increased, so has the cognitive load of making decisions in everyday life.

It wasn’t hard to choose a shampoo 100 years ago — there were probably 5 brands. Now, you have an aisle of 100+ options to choose from. If you’re a maximizer at heart (like me), this abundance of choice will prompt you to spend a great deal of time evaluating the best shampoo for you.

Learn how to switch from over-analyzing all of your life decisions, which wastes mental energy, by satisficing those that aren't critical to your happiness.

Read the complimentary article at ThoughtStack.co.

TS 19: Lessons On Reading and Writing From Mr. 500 Books Jun 09, 2017

Show notes

I remember reading Othello back in high school…

It was bound in a bright blue paperback sleeve with the word “Sparknotes” written above the title.

I know. Sparknotes isn’t the same thing as reading the book. But I was young and at that time, Shakespeare didn’t interest me the way Final Fantasy VII did.

Imagine my relief when I heard that our guest for today’s podcast — Roy Lotz, one of the top reviewers on Goodreads — also wasn’t into reading back in the day, I felt relieved. He’s since found a love of reading and has read over 550 books...cover to cover.

He writes some of the best book reviews on Goodreads, which made me ask the question, “How can a guy go from reading Sparknotes in high school to reading 500+ books and becoming an amazing writer?”

I decided to reach out to him. Thankfully, Roy took some time to talk with me.

Here’s what I learned.

TS 18: People Aren't Out To Get You...They're Just Dumb Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

I was biking to the grocery store a few days ago. As I was pedaling along happily, a bright-red car door materialized in front of my face…

I swerved. I almost fell off my bike but was able to recover. As soon as I was stabilized, I looked back to yell at the man who’d opened the car door and almost killed me.

“What a @#$%ing dick,” I muttered to myself as I pedaled into the parking lot of the grocery store. In that moment, this man was clearly an asshole.

Or was he?

As I walked through the grocery aisles, I realized that I’d failed to apply Hanlon’s Razor to the situation:

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

Read the full article at Thoughtstack.co.

TS 17: Liberate Yourself Using Systems Jun 04, 2017

Show notes

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I used to despise people who planned.

I felt they were missing out on life’s beauty by being so regimented in their routines.

I was mistaken.

It wasn’t until I read Work the System that I realized I had it backwards. By planning, you think through the way you want your life to go. After you plan, you have an opportunity to be truly spontaneous instead of having it thrust upon you.

The spontaneity of missing a flight on your honeymoon because you didn’t plan for traffic isn’t a fun experience. Neither is the spontaneity of missing the gym for the 3rd week in a row because you’re “too busy.”

Spontaneity is great, as long as you plan for it.

Find out the reasons your goals won't succeed without designing and implementing proper systems.

Learn how by reading the full article here.

TS 16: Winning Is an Emotional Game May 29, 2017

Show notes

Tilt is a poker term for a state of mental or emotional confusion or frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy, usually resulting in the player becoming over-aggressive. – Wikipedia

Tilting usually occurs when you get an outcome that you did not want or expect – for instance, losing an all-in with AA, the best pre-flop hand in No-Limit Texas Hold’Em. Statistically, you win that about 80% of the time, so the 20% of times that you do end up losing the hand can become emotionally frustrating.

One of my favorite quotes about tilt comes from Gigabet, an old poster on an old poker forum that I used to frequent:

“Everyone will eventually run worse [have worse luck] than they thought was possible. The difference between a winner and a loser is the latter thinks he doesn’t deserve it.”

Read the full article here.

TS 15: Why We All Need To Be More Curious May 28, 2017

Show notes

We’re far less important than we think we are.

And yet...

Everything had to work out exactly the way it did for us to come into existence.

The Milky Way had to form ~12.21 billion years ago and the Earth had to form ~4.43 billion years ago. Our species, Homo sapiens, had to survive countless threats to pop up ~160,000 years ago, which is but a minor blip on the vast cosmic timeline.

What makes us significant is that we’re the first species to realize all of this.

That’s what makes us matter — we’re the species that was curious enough to ask questions and develop cognitive tools to help discover the answers.

Today's Actionable Book Short is on A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

For the corresponding article, be sure to read it on our site.

Stay Thought-Full.

TS 14: Do You Believe All Life Is One? May 26, 2017

Show notes

I usually call these mini episodes Thought-Full Thursdays, but I’m changing them to Pattern Breakers.

The purpose of these shorts is to allow you a few moments to ponder and reflect on a few questions that relate to the week’s Actionable Book Short, and hopefully get you thinking in new ways and enhance your typical daily patterns …

That brings us to this week’s Pattern Breaker on A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

First question: It’s been said that 99.99 percent of all species that have ever lived are no longer with us. What makes you think things will be different for the future of our species?

Second question: Over 60 percent of human genes are fundamentally the same as those found in fruit flies and at least 90 percent correlate at some level to those found in mice. Do you think humans are equivalent to other animals or superior?

Third question: Since DNA is the common connector between all animals, do you feel that all life is one?

Be sure to Join the Tribe by signing for the Weekly Thought-Full Newsletter. It’s a short email the covers the past week’s episodes, articles, and randomness you’d find worthwhile.

Tune in this weekend for the Weekly Actionable Book Short a Short History of Nearly Everything. You’re going to love it.

Thanks for listening.

Stay Thought-Full.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Thought Stack: Design Principles, Mental Models, & Cognitive Biases

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected