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What's a useful mental model you've put into practice (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by cheese_greater@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

3 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Inversion Thinking

Instead of thinking about positive outcomes (assuming everything will turn out right), turn the process on its head by thinking what could go wrong and cause you to fail so you know what and who to avoid to maximize your chance of success or at least not being surprised so you're able to make contingency plans ahead of time to compensate

You need to also do the more conventional process of thinking so you actually have an affirmative plan but it helps to know where all the mines are buried (like Minesweeper)

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[–] Squeak@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

My whole life is inversion thinking and I’m depressed 🙃

[–] teft@startrek.website 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Right? Inversion thinking just sounds like a fancy way of saying anxiety.

[–] scorpionix@feddit.de 0 points 10 months ago

Not necessarily. Anxiety and depression are destructive ways of thinking: "I am going to fail, why even try".

I read OPs approach as "I might fail because of X, how do I avoid X". That's a constructive and somewhat solution driven approach.

"Negativity" is not inherently bad. It's OK to be sad. But negativity becomes a problem when it becomes permanent.