The Great Mental Models Volume 3: Systems and Mathematics

more progress you will make toward what you want to achieve.

Then the weight passes a threshold where any additional amount is disastrous, and the final straw tips the camel into another state. Once a system passes a certain threshold and enters a critical state, it only takes a tiny nudge to change it.

record your observations. Take the time to reflect on your experiences using each model, because it is through reflection that the most valuable knowledge builds. Note where you make a different choice based on the insight provided by the model. Pay attention

Feedback loops are everywhere in systems, making them a useful mental model.

The final unit of input before the change has a disproportionate impact.

correctly. A critical requirement is learning how to filter feedback. Not all of it is useful. The more quickly you learn to identify good feedback and accept and incorporate it, the

There are two basic types of feedback loops: balancing and reinforcing, which are also called negative and positive. Balancing feedback loops tend toward an equilibrium, while reinforcing feedback loops amplify a particular process.

The people you spend the most time with are the ones who give you the most feedback on your behavior and thus have the most impact on the choices you make and the ways you change.

A feedback loop is when the outputs (information) of a system affect its own behaviors.