You make messy decisions
Use simple lenses to reduce confusion.
Course library
See what you will learn
Use mental models on actual work decisions.
A daily path for operators who want clearer judgment without turning mental models into trivia.
Download Cadence free from the App Store, or request free Android testing access.
30 short lessons. Day 1 is ready.
- Best for
- Strategy & decisions
- Prerequisites
- No formal prerequisites
- Course length
- 30 daily lessons
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Total learning time
- About 5 hours in total
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Every lesson connects to a conversation, decision, or habit you can change between lessons.
You lead operational work
See bottlenecks, incentives, and feedback loops earlier.
You read strategy advice
Turn ideas into specific questions for the current situation.
You want better judgment habits
Practice applying one model at a time.
Inside the course
Your first three days are already mapped.
The course follows a daily sequence, so the next practical move is waiting when you come back.
Incentive lens
Explain behavior through rewards, constraints, and risk.
Constraint lens
Find what limits throughput.
Second-order thinking
Look past the immediate win.
Reversibility
Choose how much certainty the decision deserves.
Course preview
30 short lessons
Mental Models for Work Decisions
Day 1
Name the Real Decision
Separate the actual choice from symptoms, noise, and urgency, then choose a useful way to examine it.
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Day 2
Decide Who Actually Decides
Identify decision owners, required approvals, advisors, and informed roles for each linked call.
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Day 3
Sort Hard Limits From Wishes
Distinguish hard limits from preferences, assumptions, and wishful thinking.
Course arc
From vague intention to repeatable moves.
Cadence turns the course into a returnable habit: short lesson, quick check, review, and the next useful step.
01 / 04Use one model well
Apply a lens to a real decision.
Read the system
See incentives and bottlenecks.
Look downstream
Check second-order consequences.
Choose the decision type
Match process to reversibility and stakes.
Full syllabus
30 lessons, arranged as one clear path.
Build a practical toolkit of mental models for making better operating decisions at work. The course moves from defining the decision to testing tradeoffs, incentives, and uncertainty, then ends with a reusable playbook for real recurring choices.
Module 01
Frame Decisions and Select Models
Identify the real decision, owner, and constraints, then choose a model family that matches the mechanism or uncertainty involved.
- Day 1 Name the Real Decision
- Day 2 Decide Who Actually Decides
- Day 3 Sort Hard Limits From Wishes
- Day 4 Write a Decision Worth Acting On
- Day 5 Match Your Effort to the Stakes
- Day 6 Checkpoint: Frame It Cleanly
Module 02
Tradeoffs and Opportunity Cost
Compare options by what each one gives up, not just what it promises.
- Day 7 Count What Saying Yes Costs You
- Day 8 Weigh the Odds, Not Just the Upside
- Day 9 Know When Good Enough Wins
- Day 10 Compare Options Apples to Apples
- Day 11 Defend Your Pick Without Faking It
- Day 12 Checkpoint: Rank Your Options
Module 03
Uncertainty and Signals
Use base rates, evidence quality, belief updates, and reversibility to decide when to act.
- Day 13 Tell a Strong Signal From Noise
- Day 14 Build a Safer Path to Speed
- Day 15 Test Cheaply Before You Commit
- Day 16 Start With the Base Rate
- Day 17 Update Your View With New Evidence
Module 04
Incentives and System Effects
Spot hidden incentives, metric failures, feedback loops, and downstream consequences.
- Day 18 Read Incentives, Not Intentions
- Day 19 Catch the Metric Becoming the Target
- Day 20 Think One Consequence Further
- Day 21 See the Feedback Loop and the Delay
- Day 22 Invert the Plan Before It Fails
Module 05
Coordination and Execution
Use bottlenecks, margin of safety, and option value to improve execution and handoffs.
- Day 23 Find the Bottleneck Before You Optimize
- Day 24 Build a Margin of Safety
- Day 25 Preserve Option Value
- Day 26 Respect Compounding and Path Dependence
- Day 27 Checkpoint: Combine Models Without Overfitting
Module 06
Decision Playbook Synthesis
Synthesize the models into a reusable rule set and operating memo.
- Day 28 Build a Small Model Playbook
- Day 29 Red-Team Your Favorite Lens
- Day 30 Ship Your Decision Playbook
How learning works
Read, listen, check your understanding, then keep going.
Short daily lessons
Each lesson is designed around about 10 minutes of focused learning.
Reading and audio
Read the lesson or play its audio when listening fits your day better.
Checks when useful
Lessons can use quizzes, written responses, or guided practice. A lesson can also teach without adding a forced exercise.
Progress and support
Track completed lessons, keep a streak, set reminders, and ask the in-lesson coach for help.
Know the limits. Cadence supports guided self-learning. It does not award an accredited degree or professional certificate, and important AI-generated claims should be checked against reliable sources.
Free to read first
Guides on the same skill.
No sign-up needed.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Who is Mental Models for Work Decisions for?
Every lesson connects to a conversation, decision, or habit you can change between lessons. It is listed in the strategy & decisions part of the Cadence course library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No formal prerequisites are required. The course is designed for guided self-learning, and it is most useful when you bring a real situation or goal to the lessons.
How long does the course take?
Mental Models for Work Decisions contains 30 lessons designed around 10 minutes each. You open lessons in sequence and can move at your own pace.
What is the learning format?
Lessons can be read or played as audio. The course includes quizzes or practical checks where the lesson calls for them, plus progress tracking and Ask Coach inside lessons.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Day 1: Name the Real Decision
Get access and choose Mental Models for Work Decisions. Your first practical move is ready when you open the app.
Download Cadence free from the App Store, or request free Android testing access.