PARADOXMental model
Circle of competence template
Map your edge, the edge of your competence, and what is not your thing. Then move one thing inward.
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What is the Circle of Competence?
The circle of competence, a favourite of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, separates what you truly know from what you only think you know. PARADOX splits it into your edge, the edge of your competence, and what is not your thing, then asks for one move: the thing you will pull into your edge this month.
When to use it
- You are deciding what to say yes and no to
- You want to know where your real edge is
- You are choosing what to learn next
How the template works
My edge
Things you know cold. People would pay for these.
Edge of competence
Things you are learning. Bet small here.
Not my thing
Avoid it, hand it off or ignore it.
The move
One thing to pull from your edge into your core this month.
What you leave with
Where your edge really is, and one thing to pull into it this month.
More mental models
Eisenhower Matrix
Sort everything by impact and urgency, then find the one thing that makes the rest easier.
SWOT analysis
Map what helps and hurts you, inside and out, then make the four boxes talk to each other.
First principles thinking
Strip a goal, problem or skill down to what must be true, then rebuild from those pieces only.
OODA loop
See it, make sense of it, choose, act, and go round again before the situation changes.
Debrief
Take a finished task, project or goal apart: what you meant, what happened, why, and one change.
Brain dump
Get everything out of your head onto one page, then map it into a chart or a model.