How to Think Compass
Four directions. One way to think clearly.
“Which direction haven't I checked?”
Some mental models help you. Four of them, together, form an entire operating system. The How to Think Compass is the diagram of that operating system — north is Positive-Sum (look for the bigger pie), east is Long-Term (zoom out), south is First-Principles (strip it to what's true), west is Radically Moderate (hold both sides).
Each one alone is useful. Positive-Sum without Long-Term gets you naive optimism. First-Principles without Radically Moderate gets you the kind of certainty that builds dystopias. The compass is useful precisely because it forces you to check all four directions before you ship.
In practice the compass isn't a diagram you look at — it's a habit you build, one decision at a time, until clear thinking has a shape you can feel.
