Gemini Mental Models Decision Framework Prompt
Apply the most powerful mental models from multiple disciplines to analyse any decision or complex problem.
Category
📚 Education
Difficulty
Intermediate
Models
3
Last Updated
2026-06-28
Works with
📄 Example output
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❓ FAQ
⚙️ Fill in your variables
📋 Prompt
You are a multi-disciplinary thinker trained in applying mental models from physics, biology, economics, and psychology.
Problem/decision: [problem or decision to analyse]
Context: [domain and why it matters]
Constraints: [time/resources/stakeholders]
Task: Apply the 5–7 most relevant mental models:
For EACH:
1. MODEL NAME + DISCIPLINE
2. WHAT IT SAYS (1 paragraph)
3. HOW IT APPLIES to your specific situation
4. WHAT IT REVEALS you might have missed
5. LIMITATIONS of applying it here
Choose from:
• First Principles (Physics) • Inversion (Munger/Stoicism)
• Second-Order Thinking • Opportunity Cost (Economics)
• Survivorship Bias • Incentive-Driven Behaviour
• Compound Effects • Feedback Loops
• Margin of Safety • Map is Not the Territory
CONCLUSION: What models collectively reveal + what to do differently
Problem/decision: [problem or decision to analyse]
Context: [domain and why it matters]
Constraints: [time/resources/stakeholders]
Task: Apply the 5–7 most relevant mental models:
For EACH:
1. MODEL NAME + DISCIPLINE
2. WHAT IT SAYS (1 paragraph)
3. HOW IT APPLIES to your specific situation
4. WHAT IT REVEALS you might have missed
5. LIMITATIONS of applying it here
Choose from:
• First Principles (Physics) • Inversion (Munger/Stoicism)
• Second-Order Thinking • Opportunity Cost (Economics)
• Survivorship Bias • Incentive-Driven Behaviour
• Compound Effects • Feedback Loops
• Margin of Safety • Map is Not the Territory
CONCLUSION: What models collectively reveal + what to do differently
MENTAL MODELS: Should ToolsNova add a premium tier?
1. SECOND-ORDER THINKING
What it says: Consider not just immediate effects but what those cause.
Application: First order: premium generates revenue. Second order: paywall may reduce word-of-mouth that drives all growth. Third order: fewer users → smaller potential paying audience → premium worth less than projected.
Reveals: Revenue math looks better than growth math — but growth is what justifies higher pricing later.
2. INVERSION (Charlie Munger)
Application: Don't ask 'How do I add premium?' Ask 'What would guarantee premium kills ToolsNova?' Answers: (1) paywall the features driving new users, (2) create a barrier stopping word-of-mouth sharing.
Reveals: The dangerous moves to avoid are clearer than the right moves. Design the tier around what NOT to paywall.
3. OPPORTUNITY COST
Application: 6 months building premium = 6 months NOT adding 50+ prompts that grow SEO compound effects.
Reveals: What does 6 months of SEO/content work produce vs. what premium generates in month 7?
4. INCENTIVE-DRIVEN BEHAVIOUR
Application: Free users' incentive: keep getting value free. Your incentive: revenue. This tension must be managed explicitly in how you frame the tier.
SYNTHESIS:
(1) Delay premium until traffic is 3–5× larger — second-order + compound effects
(2) If building now, never paywall core discovery features — inversion
(3) Premium adds power-user value; doesn't restrict free access — incentive alignment
1. SECOND-ORDER THINKING
What it says: Consider not just immediate effects but what those cause.
Application: First order: premium generates revenue. Second order: paywall may reduce word-of-mouth that drives all growth. Third order: fewer users → smaller potential paying audience → premium worth less than projected.
Reveals: Revenue math looks better than growth math — but growth is what justifies higher pricing later.
2. INVERSION (Charlie Munger)
Application: Don't ask 'How do I add premium?' Ask 'What would guarantee premium kills ToolsNova?' Answers: (1) paywall the features driving new users, (2) create a barrier stopping word-of-mouth sharing.
Reveals: The dangerous moves to avoid are clearer than the right moves. Design the tier around what NOT to paywall.
3. OPPORTUNITY COST
Application: 6 months building premium = 6 months NOT adding 50+ prompts that grow SEO compound effects.
Reveals: What does 6 months of SEO/content work produce vs. what premium generates in month 7?
4. INCENTIVE-DRIVEN BEHAVIOUR
Application: Free users' incentive: keep getting value free. Your incentive: revenue. This tension must be managed explicitly in how you frame the tier.
SYNTHESIS:
(1) Delay premium until traffic is 3–5× larger — second-order + compound effects
(2) If building now, never paywall core discovery features — inversion
(3) Premium adds power-user value; doesn't restrict free access — incentive alignment
🏆
💡 Pro Tips
Best model for this prompt
Claude
Claude (Opus 4 / Sonnet 4)
Most powerful models come from disciplines furthest from your problem — physics applied to business reveals what business frameworks miss
Inversion is the most underused: before deciding what to do, decide what to avoid at all costs
Second-order thinking should be default for any decision with consequences beyond 6 months
Use models before you've decided, not to confirm what you already want to do
Applying models sequentially without synthesising — power lies in the intersection
Choosing models that confirm a pre-existing preference
Over-weighting one model — complex decisions need multiple lenses
Applying too abstractly — 'opportunity cost matters' is useless; the specific cost here is X vs Y worth £Z
- What is a mental model?A framework from one field applied to problems in another. First principles from physics applied to business strategy. Natural selection applied to product development. Value: borrowing tested frameworks from centuries of accumulated wisdom.
- Whose work to read?Charlie Munger's 'Poor Charlie's Almanack'. 'Thinking in Systems' by Donella Meadows. 'The Great Mental Models' series by Farnam Street. 'Super Thinking' by Gabriel Weinberg.
- How many models to know?Munger recommends 80–90 reasonably well with a handful deeply. Most important 6: first principles, inversion, second-order thinking, opportunity cost, compound effects, incentives.
- Claude or ChatGPT?Claude applies models more rigorously, identifies real limitations, and synthesises across multiple models more coherently.