Mental Models

Howdy from Denver,

Welcome to the 4 new subscribers from this past week!

Caroline, my van, is back on the road.

We ripped it 1,000 miles from Minneapolis to Denver in 48 hours.

I made it just in time for a backpacking trip with good friends in Crested Butte over the 4th (even made a couple of new friends too - more on that below.)

But first, let's jump into one of my favorite topics - mental models.

What the heck is a mental model?

Mental models are frameworks that people use to help interpret the world around them.

They serve as tools to simplify the complexities of life.

They're not perfect or all-encompassing, but I still find them useful when solving problems.

My 3 Favorite Mental Models

1. P/PC Balance - (P) = production of desired results. (PC) = production capability. Focus too much on production and you'll gain short-term results at the expense of long-term, sustainable growth. Focus too much on production capacity and you'll have a great long-term plan without the short-term resources to execute that plan. The key is to find the balance between (P) and (PC). Credit - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey.

2. 1% Better Everyday - .99^(365) = .03 -but- 1.01^(365) = 37.78. This math breaks down the exponential growth you stand to gain by getting 1% better every day vs. getting 1% worse every day. We often think small, steady habits won't amount to much. This couldn't be further from the truth. You don't need to tackle everything today. Just get 1% better. Credit - Atomic Habits by James Clear

3. Time, Timing, & Regret - Time = how many hours can you allocate to the objective? Timing = does the objective align with this season of your life? Regret = will I regret not taking action when I look back on my life at age 80? Find the answer to 2 of these variables, and the answer to the third becomes clear.

Visualization for Mental Model #2. Credit - www.JamesClear.com

A van builder.

There were a couple of casualties from the Eau Claire to Minneapolis towing experience.

Caroline was loaded onto a flatbed backward. She careened down the highway at 80+ mph. My 2 ceiling vents, not used to such force going backward, were rendered unusable.

They were a bit cheap, so I had been thinking of replacing them anyways.

Enter the magic of Colorado.

During my trip to Crested Butte, I introduced myself to someone camping nearby. His name was Kevin. He asked where I was from. I let him know I lived in a van.

"No way. I build vans for a living," he replied.

"Do you have 2 MaxxAir Fans in stock? Do you know how to install them?" I asked.

"Got two left over from a build that isn't gonna happen. I've installed a bunch. Would be happy to help."

Deal. 48 hours after meeting him, I drove to Fort Collins where Kevin installed 2 new MaxxAir fans.

The old fans that we yanked out. Small blades, cheap screen, cheap covers.

The replacement. 10-speed fans. Can circulate air in and out. Remote controlled. Large blades. Can run in the rain without getting the interior wet. These things are the Mercedes Benz of fans for a van.

My man Kevin got these fans installed in 2 hours. You can see the new unit on the back (the white fin) is already installed as he finishes up the second one. Go check his work out here.

An endurance athlete.

The trip to Crested Butte included a night in the backcountry. We backpacked 6 miles and set up camp just below East Maroon Pass.

Early that morning, I woke up to complete the remaining mile up through the pass.

That's when I saw a man with the locks of Thor behind me.

He was running, so I knew I'd let him go ahead...but not before I asked a question out of curiosity.

"Did you camp below the pass this morning?"

"Nope, I started at the trailhead at 6:30 am."

Holy cow. This man ran 6 miles with 2,000ft elevation gain in an hour and a half.

I joked that he'd be off the mountain in time for breakfast.

He was hard to forget.

Fast forward to Wednesday evening, and I saw those long blonde locks in a climbing gym in Denver.

I went up to him. "Hey, were you near Crested Butte on a trail run this past weekend?"

"Sure was. I remember you from the ridge. I'm Sam."

Turns out he ran up and down the mountain from 6:30 am-9:15 am, and he was able to make it back in time for breakfast with his girlfriend - not joking.

Small world.

Photos of The Week

Locations this past week: Lincoln, NE -> Denver, CO -> Crested Butte, CO -> Fort Collins, CO -> Denver, CO

View from camp in the backcountry.

View from the ridgeline where I met Sam. If you look really hard, you can see a speck just top right of the lake. That was our campsite.

View of the 2nd night's campsite. We car camped at Oh Be Joyful campground. This is where I met Kevin the van builder. (L to R - Mike, Josie, Emily, Me).

Cooking dinner in the midst of a little bit of rain!

Thanks for reading

What mental models would you add to the list?

Josh

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