Step-by-Step: Building a Mental Model
Identify key components. Map relationships showing how parts connect. Test predictions against reality. Refine based on failures.
January 2026
Mental Models Explained in Plain Language
A clear, jargon-free explanation of what mental models are, how they work, and why they matter for thinking and decision making.
Deliberate Practice Explained
Learn what deliberate practice is, how it differs from regular practice, and why it's the key to developing expert-level skills.
December 2025
Framework Overload Explained
Understand the paradox of too many frameworks—when collecting mental models becomes counterproductive and how to focus on what matters.
How Memory Retention Really Works
Understand the cognitive science of memory retention—encoding, consolidation, retrieval—and what actually prevents forgetting.
How to Build Real Expertise
Learn the evidence-based path to developing genuine expertise through deliberate practice, feedback, and structured knowledge development.
Knowledge vs Information Explained
Understand the critical difference between information and knowledge, and why confusing them leads to shallow understanding and poor decisions.
Why Most Learning Fails
Identify the common reasons learning fails—from illusions of mastery to passive consumption—and how to avoid these traps.
Why Repetition Alone Does Not Create Knowledge
Discover why passive repetition fails to build real understanding, and what actually works for creating durable, usable knowledge.
November 2025
Why Principles Outlast Tactics
Explore why understanding principles provides more durable advantage than memorizing tactics, and how to extract principles from tactics.
October 2025
Applying Cognitive Load Theory to Learning
Use cognitive load theory to design better learning experiences, study methods, and instructional materials that respect working memory limits.
How Learning Science Works Explained Simply
Discover how learning actually works—from memory formation to skill acquisition, understanding evidence-based learning principles.
Mental Models Explained for Beginners
Understand mental models—thinking tools that simplify complexity, improve decisions, and help you understand how the world works.
How Learning Happens in the Brain
Brain learning: neurons fire together during experience, synapses strengthen with repetition through long-term potentiation, wiring pathways permanently.
September 2025
Learning by Doing vs Studying
Doing provides immediate feedback and builds skill through practice. Studying gives systematic foundational knowledge efficiently.
Learning Effectiveness Checklist
Test yourself frequently. Space reviews over time. Interleave topics rather than blocking. Elaborate by connecting new to existing knowledge.
July 2025
Teaching vs Understanding
Teaching delivers information through lectures. Understanding requires active processing, connecting concepts, testing knowledge, applying practically.
Standardization vs Creativity
Standardization brings efficiency and scalability. Creativity brings novelty and individuality. Education struggles to balance both imperatives.
Knowledge Transfer Problems
Knowledge is context-dependent. What works in situation A fails in B. Experts struggle to teach tacit knowledge. Transfer requires deliberate abstraction.
Education vs Learning Explained
Education is structured, credential-focused, and standardized. Learning is active, self-directed, need-driven, and outcome-focused without formal structure.