Analysing your IQ
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Behavior is shaped by reinforcing loops (more leads to more) and balancing loops (stability mechanisms).
Feedback Loops isn't just theory—it's a practical framework for better decisions. This page explains how it works and how to apply it.
Amplify good loops (practice → skill → confidence) and break bad loops (stress → avoidance → more stress).
Feedback Loops works by providing a reliable heuristic for a common class of problems. Instead of reinventing decision-making each time, you apply a tested pattern.
Exercise increases energy, which increases exercise; procrastination increases stress, which increases procrastination.
This model is most useful when you're stuck. If your current approach isn't working, Feedback Loops often reveals the hidden constraint.
Over-applying: Not every problem benefits from this model. Match the tool to the situation.
Under-applying: People learn the model but don't practice it. Application takes repetition.
Misunderstanding the principle: Surface-level understanding leads to poor execution. Study the examples.
Ignoring context: The same model works differently in different domains. Adapt accordingly.
Identify a current decision you're facing. Write down the assumptions you're making. Challenge each one.
Look at a past failure. Apply Feedback Loops retroactively—would it have changed the outcome?
Teach the model to someone else. If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
Set a reminder to apply this model once per week for the next month. Track the results.
The best thinkers have internalized multiple mental models and apply them fluidly based on context.
Mental models require specific cognitive traits to execute. Do you have the Discipline for this?
Behavior is shaped by reinforcing loops (more leads to more) and balancing loops (stability mechanisms).
Amplify good loops (practice → skill → confidence) and break bad loops (stress → avoidance → more stress).
Exercise increases energy, which increases exercise; procrastination increases stress, which increases procrastination.
Use Feedback Loops when facing complex decisions in the strategy domain, when conventional approaches aren't working, or when you need a structured framework for analysis.
Feedback Loops is used by strategic thinkers, business leaders, and anyone who needs to make high-stakes decisions under uncertainty. It's particularly popular in investing, startups, and engineering.
Yes. Mental models are learnable skills, not innate talents. The key is deliberate practice—actively applying the model to real decisions, not just reading about it.