Farnam Street – Mental Models for Better Thinking

Become the thinker you are meant to be.

Learn the 5-step system that takes what you’ve read about mental models and gives you a framework for how to use them in your everyday life.

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Do you spend countless hours reading, listening to podcasts, and watching informative videos… only to still feel like you’re winging it most of the time?

The way you think determines everything:

• How you see the world
• How you see yourself
• How you process new information
• How you approach challenges and opportunities that come your way

Most people try to improve their thinking by consuming more information.

They spend countless hours reading great books, listening to smart podcasts, and watching fascinating videos, only to end up in the same place. They are surrounded by information, but they don’t feel like that information is translating into better thinking and better results.

At the end of the day, they still feel like they’re winging it.

Does that sound familiar?

Mentals models are the way you understand a complex world. When you have the right models, and the latticework to use them, they help you simplify that complexity in a way that turns information into true learning and practical action.

But few people end up with the right models by default. Your brain forms these models without you even knowing it — and often creates suboptimal structures for processing all the information you consume on a daily basis.

Fortunately, there’s a solution. You can consciously and deliberately teach yourself to think differently — to develop new mental models that help you process new information, navigate paths of inquiry, and chart courses of action to solve problems and improve your outcomes.

If you’re ready to think more deliberately and translate your knowledge into practical outcomes, this course is for you.

Join now to receive:

• Access to 5 modules that cover how to acquire a model, preparing to use a model, integrating models into your current thinking, reflecting on what you’ve learned, and constructing your own on-demand Latticework
• 77 lectures from mental models experts
• 15 exercises to help you apply what you learn to your own life
• Bonus materials

Rhiannon Beaubien, lead author of The Great Mental Models book series, developed Farnam Street’s ReThink Parenting course, teaching parents how to use specific models to improve family life. As a practitioner of mental models, she has yet to come across a situation or challenge that isn’t better navigated with some deliberately constructed models.

Shane Parrish teaches, guides and coaches CEOs wanting to perform at the top of their game. He is the founder of Farnam Street Media, Latticework Publishing, and Syrus Partners. Shane authors Farnam Street’s weekly newsletter Brain Food, delivering timeless insight for better decisions to over 400,000 readers worldwide.

Shane and Rhiannon don’t just write about mental models. They teach them to others and use these same models every day to make decisions, improve relationships, solve problems, and identify opportunities.

Already know about Mental Models?

Here’s why that might not be enough…

It’s possible you’re already familiar with mental models and may have even spent considerable time learning some or looking through lists of them.

Maybe you’ve…

• Memorized dozens of models
• Taken detailed notes
• Read description after description of concepts that sound useful
• Made an Anki deck or a Trello board

…and yet, it hasn’t made a difference.

Unfortunately, being aware of mental models and what they are supposed to do isn’t enough. Memorizing models isn’t the same as learning how to use them to make decisions and solve problems.

If you feel stuck in your progress, too busy reacting to think about how you think, there’s a good reason for that… and reading yet more examples of mental models isn’t going to help.

To actually see any benefit, you need to develop your own unique latticework, along with an understanding of how each model connects with the others, when to use each, and why.

Learning to use mental models is not a sequence of memorizations. It’s a comprehensive overhaul of the way you think.

Once you learn a repeatable process for turning time-tested concepts into lenses for viewing the world, plus tools for planning your course of action, you’ll be able to accelerate your path to expertise in any area.

Using mental models will become effortless and intuitive. Facing any situation that calls for clearer thinking, you’ll know exactly which mental model or models to whip out of your toolbox and see what others can’t.

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You’re Protected with Our 100% Risk-Free Guarantee

This program can change your life. That’s not something we toss out lightly. We’ve seen some incredible results out of this program, but your results will depend on what you put into it.

Participate for up to 14 days, and if you no longer feel it’s right for you, send us an email (courses@farnamstreetblog.com), and you’ll get a complete refund. It’s as simple as that.

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Who is this course for?

Mental Models for Better Thinking is an interdisciplinary course designed to teach how to construct and apply a latticework of mental models. It might be right for you if you’re:

• A student hungry to learn better, or a lifelong learner
• An entrepreneur or business owner wanting to spot new opportunities
• A leader needing to make smart decisions under pressure
• An ambitious thinker in search of rationality and a competitive edge
• A voracious reader always out to go to bed smarter every night
• Feeling stuck in your thinking and ready for a fresh perspective
• Someone who would like to face and overcome challenges more effectively

What is Farnam Street?

Farnam Street (or FS as we call it) focuses on timeless lessons and insights for work and life. We do this by ‘mastering the best of what other people have already figured out.’ After all, it’s much easier to benefit from lessons that other people have already paid the price for than making all the mistakes yourself.

Our weekly newsletter offers quick and useful multidisciplinary wisdom. Our articles explore timeless ideas and people. Our podcast offers deep and nuanced conversations. And our books offer a deeper exploration of ideas that never expire.

Can I take this course with my team/friends/etc?

If you want to do it with others, which is a great form of accountability, please register separately. Reach out to courses@farnamstreetblog.com for team discount options.

Can I expense this course?

While this will depend on your organization’s policies, most sensible employers know that encouraging investment in lifelong learning pays exponential returns. If you’re asked to justify the expense, we suggest mentioning points such as:

• At $399, this course is a fraction of the cost of traditional forms of education
• Building a latticework of mental models will mean you’re far more efficient at acquiring other knowledge and skills in the future
• Plus, it will help you get considerably more mileage out of past education or training
• Mental Models for Better Thinking is online and self-paced so it won’t require time off or commitment during working hours
• Farnam Street has a proven track record of boosting the decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities of thousands of professionals in numerous fields—including investing, sports, academia, marketing, and more.

How long will this course take?

This course is estimated to take approximately 20 hours to complete, including time to try the exercises and apply the learning through the challenges, but we encourage you to work through it at your own pace. If you plan to work through the program in real time, we recommend about 3 hours per week to watch the training, complete the assignments, and practice the skills in life and work.

If you’re not able to find the time, don’t sweat it. We know many of you have full-time jobs and busy family lives. A lot of students want to pause at various points and resume in the future as their schedule allows. Because you have lifetime access for as long as it exists, you’ll never have to choose the course over your life.

This program is action-oriented and based on what works in reality. There are no fast or even guaranteed results. Transforming how you think and learn is more than just taking a five week online course. This course is designed as a hands-on, how-to learning experience. While it’s full of timeless behaviors and routines, it’s something you’ll work on getting better at for the rest of your life. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out.

Is this course taught live?

Mental Models for Better Thinking is prerecorded to ensure all of the lectures and instructional videos are polished to a stellar production quality. We chose not to teach it live so you can get the maximum benefit from visually interesting and meticulously edited videos. This also means you can fit it to your schedule, your preferred pace, and your unique learning style.

Why should I pay when there is so much content about mental models for free on the blog or for a lower price in the books? 

In contrast to what’s on the market about mental models themselves, this course is about the process of how to use them for better thinking. Free materials from various sources may provide a piece of the puzzle, but cannot give you a latticework you can use in real time. What we’ve created in this program is a way to train your brain for mental model building and application so you can put the puzzle together for amazing results.

We prefer to avoid prescriptive language on our blog and this course is no different. Instead of offering a prescription we give a framework of processes that you can follow as-is or tailor and customize to fit your unique challenges and situation. Each part of the 5-step process to construct a latticework offers a process you can follow exactly or modify.

We’ve done extensive research and are confident that nothing out there for free comes close to the quality and value of this course. It’s an investment you’ll profit from every day for the rest of your life.

What if I’m a total beginner at using mental models?

Mental models are nothing new—they’re how your brain already processes reality into comprehensible chunks. The difference is that this course teaches you how to leverage existing thinking processes by consciously reshaping them.

We encourage a “beginners mind” in this course – and even people who have amassed a volume of mental models will benefit from taking a fresh look at how they acquired them. This course is for learners at all levels.

If you’re new to the topic of mental models, don’t worry. We cover all of the basics, bringing you practical guidance every step of the way.

How long will I have access to the content?

You’ll have access to the course for as long as we offer it. We can’t promise lifetime access because we don’t know what that means… whose lifetime? Yours? Mine? In 50 years? But there’s no rush and you can go at your own pace.  Pause, rewind, revisit, contribute, apply and refresh whenever you wish.