When I’m facing a new problem I like to spend a lot of energy thinking from first principles^[1][2] on how to solve the problem. Then I try to create an objective feedback loop to the best of my ability. This allows me to reality check my theories and see where my intuition led me astray.

I used to spend years in this phase. As I got older, after a few loops, I now go out and find “state of the art” or “best practice” books and articles to download someone’s lifetime of experience into my consideration set. I shamelessly quit after 1-2 chapters if the book is not relevant or low information density though.

If I like a book and can validate what’s in the book in 1-2 weeks of real world usage then I keep it around. If not, I try to purge my memory of the inapplicable advice or fake guru material.

Here are some of the materials that in combination with first principles thinking formulate my mental models.

Product Fundamentals

• The Lean Product Playbook
• Inspired

Discovery

• Continuous Discovery Habits (Summary)
• Design Sprint
• The Lean Startup
• The Startup Owner’s Manual
• Value Proposition Design

Strategy

• Good Strategy, Bad Strategy (Summary)
• Business Model Canvas
• Crossing The Chasm
• Zero To One
• The Science of Growth
• Blue Ocean Strategy

Culture

• Product vs. Feature Teams (Follow-on FAQ)
• Product Triad
• Empowered
• Crucial Conversations
• Nonviolent Communication

Change Management

• Tribal Leadership
• Immunity to Change
• Getting To Yes
• High Output Management
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Psychology

• Fogg Behavior Model
• Motivation Waves