Untools: The best collection of tools to help you solve problems and make better decisions

What do Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Charlie Munger, and thousands of other successful people have in common? They use mental models to sharpen their thinking, solve problems and make better decisions. It’s how they have built SpaceX, Tesla, Amazon, Facebook, and other billion-dollar companies.

Mental models are frameworks for thinking. They help you simplify complex situations and understand how things work. They are the thinking tools you can (and should) use to improve your reasoning, avoid common traps, and make better long-term decisions.

For example:

a) Inversion is a mental model that helps you view a problem from a different perspective and imagine worst-case scenarios to avoid and prepare for it.

b) Eisenhower Matrix helps you to prioritize urgent and important tasks.

c) Ladder of Inference helps you avoid jumping to conclusions and make decisions based on reality.

But, these thinning tools are scattered all over the web. You have to dig through the trenches of the Internet to learn about them. There isn’t one place where you can visit and get an overview of all these thinking tools.

Untools solves this problem. In this post, I’ll tell you what Untools is, the benefits of using it, and how you can use it.

What is Untools?

“Untools is a collection of thinking tools and frameworks to help you solve problems, make decisions and understand systems.” You’ll find all the different thinking frameworks in one place — no more wasting time browsing through the web to learn about a mental model.

Benefits of using Untools:

a) Hundreds of thinking tools at your fingertips.

b) Save hours of time and effort to find the right tool for you.

c) Improve your problem-solving and decision-making skills.

d) Know how you can use a particular mental model in a particular situation.  

How to use Untools:

Step 1: Visit Untools

Step 2: Here you’ll see the tools divided into 4 categories: systems thinking, decision making, problem-solving, and communication.

Click on any one of the categories you want to improve on. For example, if you want to improve your communication, click on Communication.

Here are two mental models under communication:

a) Minto Pyramid

b) Situation-Behavior-Impact

If you want to “make your communication more efficient and clear,” click on Minto Pyramid. Read on to know what it is, how to use the principle, and a real-life example.

Likewise, follow the same approach for other categories. Or you can even head over to the tools guide page. Here, the founder recommends his top tools you can start with. There are also prompt questions to help you choose a tool.

Rewire your brain to think better

As Julian says, “Your hunter-gatherer's brain is not wired to prioritize [mental models]. Your brain is biased toward instincts and short-term objectives.” You need to rewire it toward long-term success.

Persuade yourself to think in mental models. You’ll be able to compromise short-term pleasures for long-term gains, find the root causes of problems and solve them from thereon, and succeed faster.

Untools will be your 24/7 assistant throughout this journey.