Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get started
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Great Mental Models summary
General Thinking Concepts
26 mins
Brief summary
The Great Mental Models by Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien is a thoughtful guide to learning how to think better and make smarter decisions through the lens of mental models. It equips readers with a toolbox of knowledge frameworks that allow for more strategic thinking and better problem-solving.
Table of Contents
The Great Mental Models
Summary of 9 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 9
A map is a simplified representation of a complicated reality.
Mental models are tools that help us navigate reality. The most obvious example is a map. As familiar as it might seem, this classic navigational aid illustrates some of the basic features, benefits, and limits of mental models in general. So it’s a good place to start.
The purpose of a map is to represent the world in a way that’s useful to us. To accomplish this purpose, a map needs to focus on certain aspects of reality while ignoring everything else. For instance, if you’re trying to navigate the London Underground, all you need is a map that shows the overall layout of the subway’s rails and stations – the information that will help you get to your destination. A simple array of lines and circles will do the trick.
The key message here is: A map is a simplified representation of a complicated reality.
Of course, the resulting map – that network of lines and circles – leaves out a lot of details. But that’s unavoidable. To see why, imagine trying to create a map that shows every little detail of the London Underground, right down to the nuts and bolts of the railroad tracks. Such a map would be completely impractical – way too big to fit inside your pocket, and way too complicated to help you get from point A to point B!
So we don’t want a map to include every aspect of the reality it represents. But we also don’t want to forget that it leaves out a lot of details. Sure, many of them are irrelevant to us, like the nuts and bolts of the railroad tracks. But some of them are important to keep in mind. If you’ve ever been so busy looking down at your smartphone map that you walked straight into a lamppost, then you know this firsthand. Or if your GPS device has ever led you to a road that’s closed, then you know the importance of having a map that’s fully up-to-date.
These lessons apply not just to literal maps, but to more metaphorical maps as well. Financial statements, policy papers, parenting manuals, even news articles – they all offer map-like simplifications of reality. A company’s financial statement, for instance, condenses thousands of transactions into a single, easily digestible document.
These simplifications are meant to guide us through the complicated world around us. But if we forget about what they’re leaving out of the picture, and if we fail to update them as the world changes, they can also lead us astray and get us into trouble.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Great Mental Models?
Key ideas in The Great Mental Models
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Great Mental Models about?
The Great Mental Models (2019) provides a crash course on how to upgrade your thinking and decision making. Drawing from a wide variety of disciplines, it will equip you with nine of the most essential tools for understanding and navigating the complicated world around you.
The Great Mental Models Review
The Great Mental Models (2019) is an insightful exploration of the models and principles that shape our understanding of the world. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Featuring a collection of powerful mental models, the book equips readers with the tools to think more effectively, solve problems, and make better decisions.
- Backed by extensive research and real-world examples, it offers practical applications for these models, helping readers to apply them in their everyday lives.
- With its engaging and thought-provoking content, the book captures your attention and sparks curiosity, ensuring that the topic of mental models is anything but boring.
Who should read The Great Mental Models?
- Decision makers
- Analysts
- Anyone who wants to give their thinking an edge
Categories with The Great Mental Models
Book summaries like The Great Mental Models
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
37 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Great Mental Models FAQs
What is the main message of The Great Mental Models?
The main message of The Great Mental Models is to help improve our thinking and decision-making by developing a set of mental models.
How long does it take to read The Great Mental Models?
The estimated reading time for The Great Mental Models is several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Great Mental Models a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Great Mental Models is definitely worth reading. It provides valuable insights and practical tools for improving our thinking and decision-making.
Who is the author of The Great Mental Models?
The authors of The Great Mental Models are Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien.
What to read after The Great Mental Models?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Great Mental Models, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Great Mental Models Volume 2 by Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien
- Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Great Mental Models Volume 3 by Rhiannon Beaubien and Rosie Leizrowice
- The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge
- The Great Mental Models, Volume 4 by Shane Parrish
- The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto
- Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal with Tantum Collins
- The Art Of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz