📄 Inversion

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“Great thinkers, icons, and innovators think forward and backward. Occasionally, they drive their brain in reverse.”
_{—James Clear}

Do you ever struggle to make progress despite working hard?

Maybe you should consider the opposite.

In a short article, bestselling author James Clear breaks down a counterintuitive mental model, inversion, and explains why it’s an essential skill for leading a logical and rational life.

Clear describes inversion as a way of thinking in which you consider the opposite of what you want.

He makes the case that “Success is Overvalued. Avoiding Failure Matters More.” Then outlines the benefits of thinking forward and backward in a variety of situations:

• Creative Pursuits

• Project Management

• Productivity

• Decluttering

• Relationships

• Personal Finance

Inversion can also be particularly useful for challenging your own beliefs.

Learn why in his article (8 min read):

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Inversion is a mental model I’m personally working to ingrain into my brain.

When faced with a challenge, my instinct is to put my head down and work harder. But often it’s best to look at the challenge from a different perspective.

Here’s to flipping the script in 2026 and “thinking backward.” I hope it helps.

Scott

P.S. In case you missed it, we covered more on mental models in our post last week.

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