Inversion: A Framework To Improve Decision-Making

One of the mental models that can improve one’s decision-making is the inversion framework. As a mental model, inversion refers to a framework of thinking about problems in reverse. That is, it encourages considering what would happen (or the counterfactual), if we did the opposite of what we are doing.

The benefit of this approach is the ability to uncover hidden assumptions and potential issues, which would have otherwise been impossible to decipher. As a consequence, this effort leads to more creation solutions.

Naval Ravikant, one of the most successful angel investors, says the following on inversion:

I don't believe I have the ability to say what is going to work. Rather, I try to eliminate what’s not going to work. I think being successful is just about not making mistakes. It's not about having correct judgment. It's about avoiding incorrect judgment. — Naval Ravikant ( from the book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Jorgenson, Eric,)