Goodhart’s Law: Soviet Nail Factories & The Power of Incentives

The Soviet Union had a shortage of nails during Lenin’s time. To increase production, his government started giving bonuses to the factories for the number of nails they produce. After hearing about the bonus, the factories reduced the size of the nails to produce as many nails as possible. In the end, they met the targets and…

Parkinson’s Law Meaning, Examples, and How to Overcome It

Parkinson’s Law means that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Imagine you have two weeks to complete a project.  How likely would you deliver the task earlier than the deadline? If your answer is not likely, you’re not alone. Because even if the project with a two-week deadline could be finished in three…

What Is Argumentum Ad Populum (And How To Question It)

Argumentum ad populum (Latin for “appeal to the people”) is a fallacy when people accept what is popular as true without logical reasoning. We live in a world of arguments. Some arguments shape how we make decisions and how we live without us realizing it. Especially when the majority accepts one as the norm. A…

Via Negativa: Steve Jobs’ Favorite Mental Model For Problem-Solving

Via negativa is a mental model that looks for solutions not through addition, but through subtraction. Steve Jobs loved cutting things out. When he returned to Apple as CEO, before creating any new product, he killed dozens of existing products. And focused the company on what it does best. Later on, he made one of the…

Steven Pressfield’s Resistance: A Villain You Have to Fight

Every great story has a villain. The Lord of the Rings has Sauron. Star Wars has Darth Vader. In his book The War of Art, Steven Pressfield created an unusual one. He called it Resistance.   We fight with Resistance every day without knowing. It’s intelligent and silent.   Usually, it shows its face in the form of procrastination.…