General Mental Models
How to approach life and work.
TL;DR
Mindset:
- Begin with the end in mind - Paint the picture, write the PR/FAQ, work backwards
- Check your motives - Expose hidden pride, ego, greed, fear
- WTF per minute - Track friction, reduce it
- Compound yourself - Exponential, not linear
- Have self-belief - Trust yourself on big bets
- Think independently - Test ideas, not opinions
- Make risks easy - Low costs = high risk tolerance
- Focus - One thing that matters
- Work hard - Outwork early, out-think later
- Be bold - Tackle hard problems
- Be willful - Make things happen
- Build leverage - Unique skills + relationships
- Build network - Help generously
- Own things - Equity beats salary
- Be internally driven - Do what matters to you
Begin with the End in Mind
What it is: Start with the outcome, work backwards. Paint the picture of success before you build.
How to use it:
- Paint a picture: What does success look like? Be specific.
- Write it down: Press release, FAQ, dinner story, demo video
- Work backwards: What needs to be true to get there?
- If you can't write a compelling story, don't build it
Example - PR/FAQ:
"Today we launched instant transfers. Send money in 2 seconds, not 2 days.
Zero fees. Works 24/7."
FAQ:
Q: How is this different from competitors?
A: [If you can't answer this compellingly, don't build it]Example - Customer Story:
- Bad: "We'll improve conversion"
- Good: "Sarah sends $50. Done in 8 seconds. Friend texts back: 'Already here!'"
Reference: Working Backwards PR/FAQ Process
Why it matters: Prevents investing in things that don't matter. Makes success tangible.
When to use: Every project, every quarter, every major decision.
Check Your Motives
What it is: A set of questions to expose whether you're acting from pure or impure motives.
The insight: Hidden motives corrupt good work. Pride, ego, greed, and fear disguise themselves as good intentions. These questions expose them.
How to use it:
- Before major decisions, answer these questions honestly
- If you answer "No" to any pure motive question, stop and examine why
- Pure motives: Would do it anonymously, willing to not get credit, can celebrate others' success
- Impure motives: Need recognition, glory, to be right, to prove something
The Questions:
| Question | Pure Motive | Impure Motive |
|---|---|---|
| Would I do this if no one ever knew? | Yes | No (seeking recognition) |
| Am I willing to not get credit? | Yes | No (seeking praise) |
| Can I rejoice if someone else succeeds instead? | Yes | No (jealous/competitive) |
| Would I do this if it cost me reputation? | Yes | No (fear of man) |
| Am I defensive when questioned? | No | Yes (pride protecting itself) |
| Do I need to be right? | No | Yes (ego-driven) |
| Does this serve others or myself? | Others (primarily) | Self (primarily) |
| Am I doing this to prove something? | No | Yes (insecurity) |
| Would I do this if I lost money? | Yes | No (greed) |
| Can I openly share my reasoning with trusted advisors? | Yes | No (hiding something) |
Example 1: Leading a project
"I want to lead this high-profile project because..."
Impure (hidden): "...it will prove to leadership that I'm VP material. If Sarah gets it instead, it shows they don't value my work." (Proving something, jealous/competitive, need recognition)
Pure: "...I have unique expertise in this area that will help us ship 2 months faster. If Sarah can do it better, I'd be thrilled to support her as a contributor." (Serves others, willing to not get credit, can celebrate others' success)
Example 2: Giving feedback
"I want to give this feedback to my teammate because..."
Impure (hidden): "...they made me look bad in the meeting and I need to establish that I'm right. When questioned, I get defensive because they should just accept my expertise." (Ego-driven, pride protecting itself, need to be right)
Pure: "...this pattern will hurt their career growth. I'd give the same feedback even if no one knew it came from me, and I'm open to them challenging my perspective." (Serves others, would do anonymously, not defensive)
Why it matters: Impure motives eventually corrupt everything. Pride leads to bad decisions. Fear of man prevents bold action. Greed creates shortcuts. Pure motives create sustainable impact.
When to use: Before major decisions, when starting new projects, during retrospectives, when you feel defensive.
WTF per Minute
What it is: Track every moment of confusion, frustration, or "WTF?" Keep a notebook.
The insight: Best organizations, codebases, and products have the lowest WTF per minute. Low friction = high performance.
How to use it:
- Keep a WTF notebook (physical or digital), write things down with date and context.
- Review weekly: What patterns emerge? What's the action plan?
Example:
- "WTF - Why does deploy take 45 minutes? (Jan 5)"
- "WTF - Why do I need 3 approvals for $50 expense? (Jan 7)"
- "WTF - Why is this API response format inconsistent? (Jan 10)"
- Pattern: Process friction. Fix: Automate deploys, raise approval threshold to $500, standardize API responses.
Why it matters: Friction compounds. Every WTF wastes time, energy, and morale. Reduce WTFs, increase velocity.
When to use: Daily. Make it a habit. Best teams review WTFs in retrospectives.
Reference: Why You Need a WTF Notebook
Compound Yourself
What it is: Seek exponential growth, not linear.
How to use it:
- Each project should teach you something that makes the next one easier
- Build leverage: code, media, people, reputation
- Ask: "Will this 10x my output in 2 years?"
Example:
- Bad: Consulting gig pays $200/hr but teaches you nothing
- Good: Build a product for $0/hr that teaches you to scale
When to use: Choosing what to work on.
Have Self-Belief
What it is: Believe you can do hard things, even when others doubt.
How to use it:
- If everyone agrees, you're too late
- Trust yourself on big bets
- Stay open to feedback on execution
Example: "Everyone said instant transfers are impossible with our stack. Built it anyway in 4 days."
When to use: Taking on ambitious challenges.
Think Independently
What it is: Test ideas yourself. Don't follow consensus.
How to use it:
- Ask: "What do I believe that most people don't?"
- Ship small, get real data
- Update beliefs based on results, not opinions
Example:
- Bad: "Best practice says we need 6 microservices"
- Good: "We shipped a monolith. It handles 10M users fine."
When to use: Making decisions, evaluating advice.
Make it Easy to Take Risks
What it is: Keep costs low so you can bet big.
How to use it:
- Low fixed costs = high risk tolerance
- Save 6-12 months runway
- Take the scary opportunity
Example: "Kept expenses at $3K/month so I could leave my job and build for a year with no revenue."
When to use: Structuring your life and business.
Focus
What it is: Work on one thing that matters.
How to use it:
- Say no to everything except the top priority
- 80% of results come from 20% of work
- Kill the rest
Example:
- Bad: Working on 5 features at once
- Good: Shipped payments in 1 week. Everything else waits.
When to use: Every day, every week, every quarter.
Work Hard
What it is: Outwork the competition early on.
How to use it:
- First 5 years: build momentum with intensity
- Later: work hard on right things, not all things
- Combine hard work + focus
Example: "Shipped 3 features in 2 weeks by working nights. Built enough momentum to hire 2 engineers."
When to use: Building momentum, especially early in career or venture.
Be Bold
What it is: Tackle ambitious problems others avoid.
How to use it:
- If it excites you and scares you, do it
- Ignore "that's impossible"
- Start before you're ready
Example:
- Bad: Build another to-do app
- Good: Build instant global money transfers for $0.01 per transaction
When to use: Choosing problems to solve.
Be Willful
What it is: Make things happen through sheer determination.
How to use it:
- Ask for what you want
- Don't accept "no" as final
- Keep pushing until it works
Example: "Messaged the CEO 5 times before he replied. Now he's our biggest customer."
When to use: Overcoming obstacles, closing deals, recruiting.
Build Leverage
What it is: Do work that can't be replicated.
How to use it:
- Combine unique skills (e.g., engineering + design + sales)
- Build brand and relationships
- Own the customer relationship
Example: "Only person who can code payments AND speak to banks AND sell to CFOs = hard to replace."
When to use: Career planning, skill development.
Build a Network
What it is: Relationships are leverage.
How to use it:
- Help people generously with no expectation
- Stay in touch with talented people
- Your network becomes opportunities
Example: "Helped Sarah debug her database for free in 2020. She introduced me to my co-founder in 2023."
When to use: Always. Make it a daily habit.
Own Things
What it is: Wealth comes from equity, not salary.
How to use it:
- Take equity over cash when possible
- Build things that compound (products, businesses)
- Time-based income (salary) doesn't scale
Example:
- Bad: $200K salary for 10 years = $2M total
- Good: 1% equity in $200M company = $2M that compounds
When to use: Negotiating compensation, choosing opportunities.
Be Internally Driven
What it is: Do what matters to you, not what impresses others.
How to use it:
- Ignore status games
- Work on problems you care about
- Internal motivation sustains you for decades
Example:
- Bad: Join prestigious company for the brand
- Good: Join unknown startup solving a problem you deeply care about
When to use: Making career and life decisions.
Principles adapted from Sam Altman.