10 top thinking models that will benefit you for life

This article shares 10 universal thinking patterns. It is recommended for those who want to expand their thinking perspectives.

A thinking model refers to a systematic and organized way of thinking. However, any thinking model can only describe a certain aspect of the relationship. Charlie Munger once described the thinking model like this: "The thinking model is a toolbox in your brain for making decisions. The more toolboxes you have, the more likely you are to make the most correct decisions." Therefore, the more thinking models you master, the more comprehensive your perspective on things will be, and the less likely you will fall into pitfalls. Today I will share 10 top thinking models. They are very universal, so it is recommended to collect them first!

Model directory:

1. The Golden Circle
2. Pyramid Principle
3. The Rule of Three
4. 10/10/10 Principle
5. Occam's razor
6. Reverse thinking model
7. Six Thinking Hats
8. SCAMPER innovative thinking
9. Descartes' thinking model
10. Acquired bias thinking model

0 1 Golden Circle Rule

The Golden Circle is a leadership model proposed by thought leader Simon Sinek in his book Start With Why.

The model is used to help organizations and leaders find their purpose and meaning in order to better inspire employees, engage customers, and build brands.

The Golden Circle consists of three rings: Why, How and What.

Sinek believes that most organizations and leaders only focus on "what to do", that is, the products or services they produce, but successful leaders and organizations should focus on "why", that is, their purpose and beliefs.
According to the Golden Circle Principle, successful leaders and organizations need to first answer the “why”, that is, their purpose, mission and values, then the “how”, that is, their unique approach and strategy, and finally the “what”, that is, their products or services.

02Pyramid Principle

The pyramid principle is a method commonly used in speech, writing and expression of thoughts . Its basic idea is to organize information hierarchically according to its importance to form a pyramid-like structure, making the information clearer, easier to understand and more organized.

The pyramid principle usually includes the following steps:

1. Summarize the core content of the information;
2. Break down the core content into several topics and arrange them in order of importance;
3. Break down each topic into several subtopics and arrange them in order of importance;
4. Add details under each subtopic to support the content of that topic;

Taking the highest-level topic as the basis, organize all topics and subtopics into a logical and orderly structure, forming a pyramid-shaped display.

This organizational form allows the audience or reader to understand the most important information first, and then gradually go into details, forming a clear information structure that is easy to understand and remember.

This method can help speakers or writers better organize information so that it is conveyed more clearly, logically and attractively.

03 The Rule of 3

The rule of "3" generally refers to a simple principle, which is to use three elements to build a concise, powerful, easy-to-understand and memorable structure when expressing ideas or thinking about problems.

This principle states that three elements are the minimum necessary number for a message to be effectively communicated, yet few enough so that the message is not too complex or confusing.

This principle can be applied in many ways, for example:
Use three main points in your speech or presentation to support your ideas;

Use three basic colors or shapes in your design to establish a brand image or visual identity;

Use three detailed descriptions in your writing to support a main argument or theme;

Use three key benefits in sales or advertising to demonstrate the value of a product or service;

Using the rule of three can make your message clearer, easier to understand, and help your listeners or readers remember the information better.

04 10/10/10 Principle

The 10/10/10 principle is a decision-making model proposed by Suzy Weinstein, a famous management scientist and author. This model can help people make better decisions and avoid interference from impulse, bias or emotion.

Specifically, the 10/10/10 principle requires that three time points be considered when making decisions:

1. Current time point: 10 minutes from now, what will be the consequences of making this decision?
2. Short-term time point: 10 months from now, what will be the consequences of making this decision?
3. Long-term time point: 10 years from now, what will be the consequences of making this decision?

By considering the impact at different points in time, people can gain a more complete understanding of the impact and possible consequences of decisions, allowing them to make more rational and informed decisions.

The idea of ​​this model can also be fine-tuned in practice according to actual conditions. For example, the time points that may be considered may be 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years instead of the fixed 10/10/10.

05Occam ’s Razor

Occam's razor, also known as Occam's principle, means that among multiple hypotheses, the simplest one should be chosen.

The basic idea is to explain a phenomenon in the simplest way possible, rather than in a complicated way. This principle can be traced back to the 14th century English logician William Occam.

The practical application of Occam's razor is to simplify the solution of complex problems by eliminating unnecessary assumptions or explanations. This principle is widely used in scientific research, philosophy, engineering and other fields, aiming to solve problems through simple and effective explanations.

For example, when explaining a phenomenon, if there are two hypotheses, one simple and the other complex, the simple one should be chosen because it is easier to verify and explain and does not require additional assumptions or regulations.

Of course, Occam's razor does not mean that the simplest explanation is always correct. In some cases, a complex explanation may be correct, but if there is insufficient evidence to support the complex hypothesis, then we should adopt the simplest explanation first.

06Reverse thinking model

The reverse thinking model is an innovative thinking model that encourages people to look at problems from different perspectives and find unconventional solutions.

The core idea of ​​this model is to think in reverse, try to look at the problem from the opposite perspective, and come up with solutions that are different from the conventional ones.

The process of the reverse thinking model includes the following steps:

1. Identify the problem: Identify the problem or challenge that needs to be solved.
2. Reverse thinking: Look at the problem from the opposite perspective and try to come up with different solutions.
3. Evaluate solutions: Evaluate and screen the various solutions proposed.
4. Implementation: Select the best solution and implement it.

The reverse thinking model can help people break the limitations of traditional thinking and generate more innovative solutions. It is often used to solve complex problems or challenges, or to provide new ideas when creativity is insufficient.

07Six Thinking Hats

Six Thinking Hats is a thinking method created by Edward de Bono to promote teamwork and collective thinking.

This approach describes and guides thinking by dividing the thinking process into six "hats".

Each "hat" represents a different thinking role or attitude, including:

• White Hat (Facts and Data): Focus on collecting and analyzing information, and value the accuracy and reliability of facts, data, and information.
• Red Hat (Emotion and Feeling): Focuses on feelings, emotions, and intuition, helping people express their emotions and attitudes
• Yellow Hat (Optimism and Benefits): Focus on the positive and benefits, and bring up possible benefits and advantages
• Black Hat (Negative and Obstacles): Focus on problems, risks and obstacles, raise possible questions and challenges
• Green Hat (Innovation and Imagination): Focus on creativity and imagination, and come up with possible ideas and solutions
• Blue Hat (Control and Organize): Focuses on control and organization, helping to plan and manage the thinking process
• Everyone can wear these different "hats" during the thinking process and express the thinking role they represent.
• By using this approach, people can think about problems more holistically, discover potential strengths and problems, and reach better decisions.

08 SCAMPER Innovative Thinking

SCAMPER is a creative thinking tool that helps people create new ideas and solutions by modifying and recombining existing ideas and concepts.

SCAMPER represents the following seven thinking patterns:

• ubstitute: Consider replacing existing elements with different materials, processes, or ideas to gain new ideas.
• Combine: Group different elements together to create new solutions.
• Adapt: ​​Find existing solutions and modify and adjust them to fit new problems or circumstances.
• Modify: Improve an existing solution to achieve better results or better adaptability.
• Put to other uses: Consider how existing elements can play new roles in different areas or situations.
• Eliminate: Remove or eliminate useless or unnecessary elements to simplify and optimize the solution.
• Reverse: Consider reversing existing elements or concepts to gain new perspectives and ideas.

By using the SCAMPER method, people can challenge their own mindsets, look at problems from different perspectives, and discover new solutions.

This approach can be applied to various innovation scenarios, including product design, marketing, process improvement, etc.

09 Descartes ’ Thinking Model

The Cartesian thinking model, also known as "methodology", is a way of thinking proposed by the French philosopher Descartes, which advocates deriving answers by analyzing problems.

The basic idea of ​​this model is to break a problem into smaller parts and then solve each part one by one to eventually get the answer to the whole problem.

The Cartesian thinking model is usually divided into the following steps:

1. Analyze the problem and break it down into smaller parts;
2. Think about and analyze each part in detail to understand its characteristics, rules and connections;
3. Build a complete solution step by step based on the connections between the parts;
4. Examine and test the plan to determine its feasibility and effectiveness.

This model emphasizes in-depth analysis and thinking of problems to ensure the accuracy and feasibility of solutions. At the same time, it also points out the importance of problem solving, reminding people to avoid blindly adopting trial and error methods and random attempts, but to act after in-depth thinking and analysis.

Descartes' thinking model has a wide range of applications in science, engineering, management, and decision-making. It can help people solve problems more scientifically and improve the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making.

10 Acquired Bias Thinking Model

The availability bias thinking model refers to the fact that when people make decisions, they are more easily influenced by the information they know and ignore information that is not easy to obtain.

In short, people tend to give more weight to information that is easy to remember, easy to imagine, or available.

This bias often occurs when people try to assess the probability of some event.

For example, when a person is asked about the probability of a plane crash, if a similar event has occurred recently, the person is likely to overestimate the probability of a plane crash because these events are more likely to leave an impression in people's memory. On the contrary, if no similar event has occurred recently, the person may underestimate the probability of a plane crash.

Acquired biases can lead people to make poor decisions.

Therefore, to avoid this bias, we should strive to obtain more comprehensive information , including information that is not easily available or less prominent, and pay attention to the source and accuracy of the information we receive to avoid making decisions based solely on known information.

Author: Yan Tao;

Source: WeChat public account "Yan Tao Sanshou (ID: yantao-219)"