Free Value.
Try my worksheets to apply the tools.
This puts what we learned into action. Copyrighted.
You get: a fillable worksheet, a step-by-step, and a set of pro tips gathered from using the method in practice
By category
Transform the way you acquire new knowledge with my Learning Bundle, designed to turbocharge your study process. Imagine mastering complex subjects by breaking them into manageable, reflective tasks that foster deep understanding through the Feynman Technique, spaced repetition, and abstraction laddering. My worksheets guide you to identify and fill knowledge gaps, making learning a proactive, interactive experience. They help you connect theory with practice, turning studying into a journey of discovery rather than a chore.
Boost your efficiency and achieve more with my Productivity Bundle. These tools encourage clarity, organization, and focus, enabling you to make the best use of your time every day. With these bad boys, you'll learn to eliminate distractions and concentrate on what truly moves the needle in your work and life. Experience a transformation in how you plan, execute, and succeed—every minute counts.
Captivate any audience with confidence using my Public Speaking Bundle, designed to refine your message and delivery. This collection of worksheets leverages tools like the Minto Pyramid Principle to structure your talks and the Feynman Technique to simplify complex ideas for any listener. You’ll learn to craft compelling narratives that resonate emotionally and logically, while developing strategies to overcome anxiety and hesitation. Stand out on stage and make every speech memorable.
Persuasion And Sales Bundle
Drive your sales and influence with my Persuasion and Sales Bundle, a toolkit crafted to refine your messaging and win over even the toughest audiences. Harness the power of inversion to preempt objections and the Minto Pyramid to build persuasive, data-backed narratives. These worksheets guide you to understand your customer's needs deeply through empathy mapping and the SWOT analysis, ensuring that every pitch is targeted and compelling. Learn how to frame your value proposition so that potential clients see immediate, irresistible benefits.
Elevate your brand with my Marketing Bundle, a premium collection of tools designed to unlock creative strategies and data-driven insights. Dive into frameworks like SWOT and the Cynefin Framework to analyze market conditions and consumer behaviors from multiple angles. These worksheets help you distill complex market dynamics into actionable campaigns, ensuring that your messaging resonates. With this bundle, transform raw data into marketing magic that accelerates growth and sets you apart from the competition.
Make informed, confident decisions every time with my Decision-Making Bundle, your go-to toolkit for navigating uncertainty and complexity. Featuring decision trees, OODA loops, and backward chaining exercises, these worksheets break down choices into clear, manageable steps and reveal the consequences of each option. They help you identify underlying assumptions, assess risks, and weigh trade-offs with precision. With structured, reflective questions, you’ll develop a process that minimizes regrets and maximizes outcomes.
Achieve academic excellence with my School/University Bundle, specifically designed to enhance learning, critical thinking, and performance in an academic setting. These worksheets incorporate spaced repetition, the Feynman Technique, and five whys to ensure deep understanding and long-term retention of course material. They also guide you through project planning and prioritization using the 80/20 rule and divide and conquer strategies. By transforming study habits into interactive, reflective practices, you’ll unlock your potential and consistently excel in assignments.
Initiate lasting behavior change with my Behavior Change Bundle, a comprehensive toolkit designed to help you understand and transform your habits. Utilizing tools like the iceberg model to uncover hidden drivers, five whys to get to the root cause, and strengths-based thinking to build on your natural talents, these worksheets guide you through a journey of self-discovery. They encourage you to reflect on your actions, identify obstacles, and develop actionable strategies for positive change. Step into a proactive, empowered version of yourself.
Unleash your creative genius with my Creativity Bundle, a dynamic set of tools designed to break through mental blocks and spark innovative ideas. These worksheets blend inversion techniques, abstraction laddering, and the Six Thinking Hats to help you explore problems from fresh perspectives. They encourage you to challenge conventional wisdom, uncover hidden opportunities, and experiment with new approaches. With structured exercises that guide you from ideation to execution, you’ll transform creative sparks into tangible innovations.
Resolve disputes with grace and effectiveness using my Conflict Resolution Bundle, a set of powerful worksheets that transform conflict into opportunity. By combining Situation-Behavior-Impact analysis, empathy mapping, and strategic questioning, these tools help you uncover the root causes of conflicts and design fair, actionable solutions. They prompt you to consider diverse perspectives, challenge entrenched assumptions, and develop mutually beneficial resolutions. This bundle is ideal for both personal and professional settings, enabling you to foster healthier relationships and a more collaborative environment.
Achieve your dreams with my Goal-Setting Bundle, a structured system that helps you define, plan, and reach your most ambitious objectives. These worksheets utilize backward chaining, the Minto Pyramid Principle, and strengths-based thinking to break down your vision into clear, actionable steps. They guide you in aligning your daily actions with long-term aspirations, ensuring that every step you take is a step toward success. Reflect deeply on your motivations, monitor your progress, and adjust your strategy with precision. This bundle transforms lofty ambitions into a roadmap for success that is both inspiring and practical.
Secure your financial future with my Finance and Investing Bundle, a premium toolkit that empowers you to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Featuring decision trees, the 80/20 rule, and SWOT analyses, these worksheets help you evaluate investments, manage risks, and optimize resource allocation. With structured reflection and scenario planning, you’ll gain clarity and confidence in navigating the complex world of finance. Invest in a strategy that transforms raw data into a path toward lasting wealth.
Master the art of focus with my Prioritization Bundle, designed to help you cut through clutter and zero in on what truly matters. Using tools like the Impact Effort Matrix, 80/20 analysis, and divide and conquer worksheets, this bundle guides you in distinguishing high-value activities from distractions. It empowers you to allocate your time, energy, and resources with laser precision and measurable outcomes. This bundle is your pathway to increased productivity and a goal-oriented life.
Elevate your overall cognitive toolkit with my General Thinking Bundle—a comprehensive collection of mental models and worksheets designed to sharpen your mind and enhance decision-making. Combining tools for learning, problem-solving, and strategic planning, this bundle empowers you to think critically and creatively across any context. It encourages you to explore new perspectives and continuously improve your reasoning skills. Whether you’re in a boardroom meeting or making personal life choices, this bundle provides the frameworks you need to navigate complexity and ambiguity with confidence.
All The Worksheets
Unlock your high-impact actions by pinpointing the vital 20% of efforts that drive 80% of your results—streamline your workflow for maximum efficiency.
The Pareto principle—or 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, the principle of factor sparsity—states that for many outcomes, 80 percent of consequences come from 20 percent of causes. It was named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who noticed that 80 percent of Italy’s wealth was owned by 20 percent of the population. Most things in life are not distributed evenly. Each unit of work or time does not contribute the same amount. In a perfect world, every hour worked by every employee would yield that employee’s output per hour, but life is just not that simple.
Flip your perspective to challenge conventional wisdom—expose potential pitfalls by asking what could go wrong, so you can preempt failure.
Inversion is a method involving turning a problem upside down to gain new perspective and aid decision-making. We take the aspect we were focusing on and flip it 180 degrees to assess it from a different angle. For example, rather than focusing on success, we would focus on avoiding failure. Or, instead of trying to figure out ways to be more productive, we might list things that would ensure we aren’t productive and use those insights. Using a different perspective can reveal what we do not see, even if it is in plain sight.
Master complex concepts by explaining them in simple, clear terms—transform your learning into an active, engaging process that cements true understanding.
The Feynman technique is a four-step process developed by Richard Feynman to learn any subject. Does not matter how hard the subject is. This theory rejects the traditional way of memorizing facts without grasping their meaning and favors real comprehension. It is an effective problem-solving and learning framework developed by the physicist who was noted as someone who could explain complex topics in simple terms. The method emphasizes clarity and simplicity through teaching and/or explaining concepts.
Unlock diverse perspectives by methodically donning different thinking hats—explore every angle of a problem to foster balanced, innovative solutions.
The six thinking hats is a thinking framework developed by Edward de Bono. It is used to enhance and clarify decision-making and brainstorming by pushing us to shift perspectives. Six different perspectives to be precise, represented by “hats”, hence the name. The method prevents groupthink, reduces conflict, and promotes structured discussion. Each perspective is explored before coming to a conclusion.
Boost your long-term retention by scheduling reviews at optimal intervals—transform your study routine into a powerful engine for lasting learning.
Spaced repetition is an evidence-based learning framework. It is a method of reviewing material at systematic intervals. At the beginning of the process, intervals are spaced closely together—an hour, four hours, a day. As the material is learned and reviewed, the intervals become longer—four days, a week, two weeks. Revisions. An ideal system of spaced repetition maximizes our memorization ability. The perfect structure is revising something just before it is forgotten, helping us retain it in our long-term memory with the smallest investment of time and effort.
Deliver feedback that’s objective and actionable by detailing the situation, observed behavior, and its impact—drive meaningful change through clarity and precision.
Give clear feedback to others without judgement. That can be done with the situation-behavior-impact tool. When giving feedback, it can be difficult to remain objective. You and I jump to conclusions and make assumptions for why people act the way they do. Hence situation-behavior-impact was created: to remove judgement out of your feedback and make it clearer and more impactful. The tool is wonderful for constructive negative feedback as it can make the recipient less defensive.
Sharpen your analytical edge by distinguishing between appearance and reality—learn to balance risk and precision to drive better decision-making.
False positives and false negatives are classifications of error. A false positive is when a test result incorrectly indicates the presence of a condition—like a disease when there is no disease present. A false negative is the opposite, where it indicates the absence of a condition when it is actually present. This model is used in statistics, health, computer science, and countless other.
The newbie mindset refers to approaching tasks, problems, challenges, or learning with the curiosity, openness, and humility of a beginner. The newbie mindset embraces a fresh perspective, often characterized by a willingness to ask questions, explore unconventional ideas, and acknowledge gaps in knowledge. This approach cultivates creativity, adaptability, and deeper understanding. The idea comes from Buddhism where it is called shoshin, an approach encouraging us to see the world as if for the first time.
Make smarter choices by distinguishing between low-risk experiments and high-stakes commitments—minimize regrets and adapt quickly to change.
When we have to make a decision, the first question is whether it should be made fast or slow. The reversibility of that decision is a reliable way to assess whether it is worth to gather as much information as possible, or to make it quickly with partial information. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, thinks of them as one-way and two-way doors. Walk through a one-way door, and we cannot come back. It is irreversible. With two-way doors, we can go through, check out what’s inside, and come back to where we began if we so desire.
Prioritize your actions by balancing impact against effort—identify quick wins and strategic investments to optimize productivity and outcomes.
The impact-effort matrix is a simple framework for effective decision-making. It is used the evaluate the impact-effort relationship of a given choice, task, or investment. This allows us to identify which actions have the biggest impact with the least investment, and which require the most effort but produce little results. It’s a trusty sidekick when we need to figure out what to tackle first or what approach to take. Impact-effort schemes have been used for years in project management, product development, and productivity planning. Low-hanging fruit.
Look beyond the surface symptoms to reveal the underlying forces at play—address the core drivers of challenges for more sustainable change.
Addressing problems at their event level is not enough. Sometimes you have to dig deeper. To go beyond surface-level symptoms. Root causes are hidden from plain sight. That is when and why you employ the iceberg model. It is a thinking tool that allows you to shift your perspective and see beyond immediate events. The iceberg encourages you to uncover real causes of why events happen. By seeing the problem at different levels of abstraction, you are able to solve it in a way that it does not repeat itself.
Harness your natural talents by identifying and leveraging your core strengths—focus on what you do best to achieve exceptional, sustainable results.
Strengths-based thinking is a mental model that advocates thinking about, focusing on, leveraging, and cultivating our innate strengths, talents, and positive traits instead of trying to mend our weaknesses. It operates on the principle that teams and individuals achieve optimal performance when they align their actions with their natural abilities. The model challenges deficit-based models of improvement, concentrating disproportionately not on fixing problems or compensating for inadequacies, but for cashing in for what we have.
Transform friction into collaboration by using a structured approach that identifies needs, bridges differences, and turns disputes into opportunities for growth.
The conflict resolution diagram or evaporation cloud is a thinking tool used to represent problems with no obvious satisfactory solution. The evaporation cloud was designed to address conflicts and/or dilemmas—trade-off situations with no acceptable compromise—by diagramming the logic behind the conflict and the assumptions behind said logic. Typically, the cloud has five boxes, starting with the want nodes, the reason behind the conflict in the first place, moving to the need nodes, the needs the want would satisfy, and ending with a common objective both needs are trying to fulfill.
Step into your customers’ shoes to map out what they think, feel, and do—uncover deep insights that fuel empathetic, customer-focused solutions.
Empathy maps are a visualization tool applied broadly to user experience design. The primary purpose of an empathy map is to bridge the understanding of the consumer to the creator. The idea is to gain an understanding of the user’s needs and effectively work to meet them as a designer. The map provides four significant areas which act as an overview of a person’s experience. The four quadrants are as follows: see, say and do, hear, and think and feel. Put differently, it allows us to find out what the user says, thinks, does, and feels with relative accuracy.
Communicate powerfully by structuring your message from a clear, concise conclusion down to supporting details—craft persuasive arguments that resonate.
The Minto pyramid helps us communicate more efficiently and clearly. In business and in life, broadly speaking, good communication skills are priceless. People do not have the time to read long walls of text or listen to long presentations where they only get the key info at the very end. Using the Minto pyramid, we give our communication a top-down structure to get our message across clearly and quickly. We lead with the conclusion, then provide arguments and support them with detailed information.
Visualize your choices and their consequences with an intuitive roadmap that turns complex decisions into clear, actionable paths.
A decision tree is a thinking tool that uses a tree-like model to evaluate decisions and their possible consequences, including chance events, resource costs, and utility. It’s a good way to display a high-stakes decision with downstream effects. Using decision trees ensures we identify a strategy most likely to reach our goals. The tree is a flowchart-like structure. They are taught to undergrad students of business, health economics, and policy to help them predict decisions and their consequences.
Abstraction Laddering
Elevate your thinking by moving effortlessly between the big picture and the fine details, ensuring every idea is both visionary and actionable.
Abstraction laddering is the method of exploring a challenge or statement at different levels of focus. Stepping back as well as digging deeper gives us a broader view of the issue. It challenges our preconceptions, helps us refocus on the root issue, and provides a direction for problem-solving. The tool emphasizes asking questions to move up and down the ladder to approach an issue with a comprehensive understanding. Move up to expand the scope, move down to develop concrete solutions.
Five-Whys
Dig deep into root causes by asking “why” repeatedly—uncover the hidden factors behind every issue for lasting, effective solutions.
The five-whys framework is a technique used to explore the underlying cause-and-effect relationships of a problem. The primary goal is to identify the root cause of a problem by repeatedly asking “Why?” each time directing it to the answer from the previous “Why?” The method typically involves asking “Why?” five times, though it can be modified as needed. In most cases, five iterations are more than enough to get to a root cause that can be addressed. The key idea is to encourage the problem-solver to avoid jumping to conclusions, logic traps, and assumptions and instead to trace the chain of causality through layers of abstraction.
Accelerate your decision-making in dynamic environments by cycling rapidly through Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act—stay ahead of the competition with agile, informed responses.
The OODA loop is a four-step decision-making framework. It was developed by military strategist John Boyd. The process helps individuals and organizations make effective decisions in rapidly changing environments by continuously cycling through four stages: observation, orientation, decision, and action. Many similar frameworks exist, and they mostly follow an action-learning cycle, where we develop a plan, act, reflect, learn, and repeat. This makes for effective information processing.
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A SWOT analysis is using these factors in order to make clear and effective plans, decisions, and solutions to problems. It helps you challenge assumptions, navigate risk, uncover blind spots, and reveal insights. A priceless tool for analyzing what you do best now to devise a strategy for a successful future. Meanwhile, SWOT also unveils gaps in your armor so that you can protect yourself before your rivals exploit you. In any case, the wisest course of action becomes clearer once you SWOT it.
Backward Chaining
Reach your ultimate goal by working backward from the desired outcome, revealing the clear, sequential steps you need to take to succeed.
Backward chaining is a method to help us figure out what tasks need to be done by starting with our desired outcome in mind and working backwards. This is different from forward chaining where we start where we are and figure out steps to move towards our goal. It is not a new idea, used in logic for thousands of years and computer science for decades. The premise: backwards chaining lets us see what we can’t see looking forward.
Cynefin Framework
Gain clarity in uncertainty by categorizing challenges into clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, or disorder domains—know exactly which strategy to apply in every situation.
The cynefin framework is an aid for decision-making. Created in 1999 by Dave Snowden, it has been described as a “sense-making device”. Cynefin helps us categorize decisions into five contexts: clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, or confusion. These assist us in making sense of the problem and our own and others’ behavior. The word cynefin comes from the Welsh word for habitat. That is the idea of cynefin: to offer decision-makers a new perspective, a sense of place, a habitat, from which to view their perceptions.
Break down overwhelming problems into manageable parts, empowering you to tackle each step methodically and achieve success one piece at a time.
Divide and conquer is a strategy of breaking down a problem, power structure, or challenge to help us solve it. It is the art of recursively breaking down a problem into two or more sub-problems, until they become simple enough to be solved directly. The solutions to sub-problems then are combined, solving the whole of the original problem. It’s the basis of many effective problem-solving algorithms and military systems.
