Welcome to The School of Knowledge
Your 1-stop shop for systems thinking, mental models and frameworks
Welcome to The School of Knowledge and this week’s free essay. Each Sunday, I send an essay to help you navigate your personal or professional transition, from those who have tried, failed and succeeded—those with skin in the game. If you want support on how to implement the mental models, frameworks, and systems, take part in Q&As and have access to our private chat, consider becoming a paid member.
Welcome to The School of Knowledge, where we explore practical wisdom through the lens of practitioners—those who try, fail, and do—those with skin in the game.
This community is dedicated to those navigating personal or professional transitions who seek practical insights that go beyond theory and to real-world application. Below, you'll find navigation links to help you explore the different topics I have written about so far.
Whether you're a casual reader, paid subscriber, or regular community member, I've organised everything you need to think deeper, practise what you learn and start building the life you deserve.
*Click the underlined link headers to view essays on topics.
Frameworks, Mental Models & Concepts
This collection features essays focused on improving decision-making and critical thinking through proven mental frameworks and cognitive tools. The content spans both theoretical concepts and practical applications, helping readers develop more structured approaches to complex problems.
Types of essays included:
Decision-making frameworks - Complete systems for approaching choices and evaluating options
Cognitive tools and mental models - Specific thinking techniques borrowed from psychology, business, and philosophy
Creative thinking methods - Innovative approaches like the AI-powered Six Thinking Hats framework and idea evaluation systems
Uncertainty management - Tools for navigating unknown situations and managing risk
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will discover practical thinking tools they can immediately apply to personal and professional situations. The essays break down complex psychological and business concepts into accessible formats, often providing checklists, step-by-step frameworks, and real-world examples. Whether you're looking to overcome cognitive biases, structure your decision-making process, or simply think more clearly about challenging problems, this collection offers actionable insights from thinkers like Charlie Munger.
The content is designed for anyone seeking to upgrade their thinking toolkit, regardless of their background in psychology or business theory.
This collection explores how to understand and work with complex interconnected systems, whether in business, personal life, or organisational contexts. The essays focus on seeing the bigger picture and understanding how individual components interact to create emergent behaviours and outcomes.
Types of essays included:
System fundamentals - Core principles for developing systems thinking capabilities and understanding interconnections
Business case studies - Real-world examples like Jeff Bezos and Amazon's system-building approach
System quality principles - Concepts around static and dynamic quality within systems
Practical system wisdom - Actionable insights for those wanting to create meaningful systemic change
System pitfalls and traps - Common mistakes people make when trying to influence or change systems
Natural system insights - Lessons from observing how natural systems operate (top-down vs bottom-up approaches)
Entropy and order - Understanding how systems tend toward disorder and how to counteract decay
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will develop the ability to see beyond individual events and understand the underlying structures and patterns that drive outcomes. The collection teaches how to identify leverage points for creating lasting change, avoid common system traps that sabotage efforts, and apply systems principles to everything from personal habits to business strategy. You'll learn to think in terms of feedback loops, unintended consequences, and emergent properties rather than just linear cause-and-effect relationships.
This content is particularly valuable for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to create sustainable change in complex environments where traditional problem-solving approaches often fall short.
This collection focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence as a thinking partner and decision-making tool. The essays explore how to effectively use AI prompts to enhance cognitive processes, creative thinking, and problem-solving approaches.
Types of essays included:
AI-enhanced thinking frameworks - Innovative applications of classic methodologies like Six Thinking Hats, adapted for AI collaboration
Entropy and system management - Using AI to help maintain order and combat chaos in personal and professional systems
Idea evaluation processes - AI-powered methods for testing and refining new concepts and initiatives
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will discover how to transform AI from a simple question-answering tool into a sophisticated thinking partner. The collection teaches practical prompt engineering techniques that go beyond basic AI usage to create structured thinking processes that leverage AI's capabilities while maintaining human judgment and creativity.
You'll learn to design prompts that help you think through complex problems more systematically, evaluate ideas from multiple perspectives, and maintain better organisation in your work and thinking processes. The essays demonstrate how AI can augment human cognitive abilities rather than replace them, creating hybrid thinking approaches that are more powerful than either human or AI reasoning alone.
The content is particularly valuable for knowledge workers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to use AI tools more strategically for decision-making, creative problem-solving, and systematic thinking. Rather than focusing on technical AI implementation, the collection emphasises practical applications that can immediately improve how you approach complex challenges.
This collection represents the cutting edge of human-AI collaboration, showing how to integrate artificial intelligence into your thinking toolkit in ways that enhance rather than diminish your cognitive capabilities.
AI prompts are currently available to paid subscribers only. As well as the practical AI prompts that serve as a thinker partner—not master, paid members also get access to the private Substack chat, paid essays and member-only comments.
Business Strategy & Leadership
This collection examines the strategic thinking and leadership principles behind some of history's most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. The essays focus on extracting actionable insights from real-world business success stories and legendary leadership examples.
Types of essays included:
Billionaire business strategies - Deep analysis of how leaders like Jeff Bezos built trillion-dollar companies through strategic thinking
Decision-making frameworks - Proven strategies from successful investors like Ray Dalio for managing uncertainty and making better business decisions
Entrepreneurial mindset - Lessons on developing the psychological characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and founders
Sales and marketing mastery - Time-tested approaches from legends like Gary Halbert for understanding persuasion and customer psychology
Startup strategy - Key insights from influential business books like "Zero to One" for building innovative companies
Visionary leadership case studies - How leaders like Elon Musk use unconventional thinking to overcome seemingly impossible challenges
Extreme leadership examples - Historical leadership lessons from figures like Ernest Shackleton, who led under extraordinary circumstances
Company-building narratives - Founding stories and strategic insights from successful companies like Nike
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will develop a sophisticated understanding of how exceptional business leaders think strategically and execute under pressure. The collection teaches you to recognise patterns in successful business decision-making, understand the psychological foundations of entrepreneurial success, and apply proven frameworks for navigating business uncertainty.
You'll learn both the strategic elements (long-term thinking, competitive positioning, innovation strategies) and the tactical aspects (sales psychology, operational excellence, team leadership) that separate successful businesses from failures. The essays emphasise extracting timeless principles from specific business cases that can be applied across different industries and contexts.
The content is particularly valuable for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone interested in understanding how exceptional companies are built and led. Rather than theoretical business concepts, the collection focuses on proven strategies and mindsets demonstrated by leaders who have achieved results in their competitive markets.
This collection serves as a masterclass in strategic thinking and leadership, distilled from the experiences of some of the most successful business leaders in history.
This collection dives deep into the psychological patterns and mental shortcuts that often lead us astray in decision-making. The essays focus on identifying, understanding, and overcoming the cognitive biases that affect everyone from everyday choices to high-stakes business decisions.
Types of essays included:
Classic cognitive biases - Deep dives into well-known biases like sunk cost fallacy, self-serving bias, and social proof
Accountability psychology - How our relationship with responsibility affects learning and decision-making
Social influence mechanisms - Understanding how scarcity, social proof, and group dynamics shape our choices
Success-related biases - Examining biases that particularly affect high achievers (like champion bias)
Independence and critical thinking - Strategies for breaking free from herd mentality and groupthink
Personality psychology - Insights into narcissism and other personality patterns that affect judgment
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will gain practical skills for recognising when their own psychology is working against them. Each essay typically follows a pattern of explaining the bias, showing how it manifests in real-world situations, and providing concrete strategies for counteracting its effects. You'll learn to spot the invisible forces that influence your decisions, from social pressure to emotional attachments to past investments.
The content is particularly valuable for anyone who wants to make more rational decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and develop genuine self-awareness. Rather than just theoretical knowledge, these essays provide actionable techniques for catching yourself in the moment and choosing more deliberate responses to psychological triggers.
This collection serves as a practical guide to becoming more psychologically sophisticated and less susceptible to the predictable ways our minds can deceive us.
Learning & Knowledge Management
This collection focuses on the meta-skills of learning itself - how to acquire, organise, retain, and apply knowledge more effectively. The essays combine proven learning techniques with modern knowledge management systems and personal development insights.
Types of essays included:
Knowledge organisation systems - Practical methods for creating and managing knowledge clusters that enhance rather than hinder learning
Learning techniques - Deep dives into proven methods like the Feynman Technique for deeper understanding and retention
Great work principles - Analysis of high-level insights from thinkers like Paul Graham, producing exceptional work
Curiosity and topic selection - Personal approaches to following intellectual interests and choosing meaningful subjects to explore
Knowledge development metaphors - Conceptual frameworks like "seeds of thought" for understanding how ideas grow and develop
Communication skills - Storytelling techniques and methods for effectively sharing knowledge with others
Reading methodology - Strategic approaches to extracting maximum value from books and written material
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will discover how to transform from passive consumers of information into active knowledge creators and curators. The collection teaches both the tactical aspects (organising highlights, creating effective note-taking systems) and the strategic elements (following curiosity, developing ideas into larger bodies of work) of lifelong learning.
You'll learn to build a personal knowledge management system that enhances your thinking rather than becoming a digital hoarding exercise. The essays also explore the creative process of turning scattered insights into coherent understanding and meaningful output.
This collection is essential for knowledge workers, students, writers, and anyone who wants to maximise their intellectual growth and create a sustainable system for continuous learning throughout their personal and professional lives.
This collection explores fundamental investing principles through the lens of timeless wisdom and proven strategies. Rather than focusing on market timing or stock picking, the essays emphasise the mental frameworks and conceptual understanding that underpin successful long-term investing.
Types of essays included:
Competitive advantage analysis - Understanding sustainable business moats and how they translate to both investing success and life principles
Probability and risk management - Mathematical thinking applied to investment decisions and wealth building
Safety-first principles - The crucial concept of margin of safety as both an investment strategy and life philosophy
Investment wisdom synthesis - Insights drawn from legendary investors and investment letters (like The Nomad Letters)
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will develop a deeper understanding of the foundational concepts that separate successful long-term investors from speculators. The essays teach you to think probabilistically about risk and reward, identify truly durable competitive advantages in businesses, and apply the principle of margin of safety to protect against downside risks.
Rather than providing stock tips or market predictions, this collection focuses on building the mental models and conceptual frameworks that enable better investment decision-making over decades. You'll learn to see investing not just as a financial activity, but as an application of clear thinking, patience, and understanding of business fundamentals.
The content draws heavily from proven investment philosophies and translates complex financial concepts into accessible principles that can be applied both in investing and in broader life decisions. This approach makes the collection valuable for both beginning investors and those looking to refine their investment philosophy with time-tested wisdom.
This collection takes a thoughtful, philosophical approach to personal growth that goes beyond typical self-help advice. The essays blend practical wisdom with deeper questions about purpose, authenticity, and creating a meaningful life.
Types of essays included:
Life organisation principles - Strategies for managing entropy, time mastery, and balancing obligations with passions
Decision-making tools - Practical frameworks and thinking tools for navigating life choices
Purpose and meaning exploration - Deep dives into concepts like ikigai and finding your true purpose in life
Wisdom from thought leaders - Distilled lessons from influential thinkers like Naval Ravikant
Authenticity and individuality - Essays on being original, building personal principles, and resisting conformity
Resilience and growth mindset - Critical examination of popular advice and more nuanced approaches to personal strength
Freedom and autonomy - Practical strategies for creating genuine independence and choice in life
Accountability and learning - How to take responsibility for growth while avoiding common pitfalls
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will develop a more sophisticated understanding of personal development that emphasises depth over quick fixes. The collection teaches you to think critically about popular self-help concepts, build your own principled approach to life decisions, and create sustainable systems for growth and fulfilment.
Rather than prescriptive formulas, these essays encourage independent thinking about what constitutes a well-lived life. You'll learn to balance structure with spontaneity, obligation with passion, and external expectations with internal authenticity. The content focuses on building robust mental frameworks that can withstand life's inevitable challenges and changes.
This collection is particularly valuable for thoughtful individuals who want personal development grounded in wisdom rather than trends, and who are interested in creating their own philosophy of living rather than following someone else's blueprint.
This collection bridges the gap between ancient philosophical wisdom and modern practical application. The essays focus primarily on Stoic philosophy while incorporating other philosophical traditions, demonstrating how timeless insights remain relevant for contemporary challenges.
Types of essays included:
Stoic practical philosophy - Deep explorations of Stoic principles from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and other classical thinkers applied to modern professional and personal life
Quality and systems philosophy - Philosophical foundations for understanding the nature of quality in systems and life
Purpose and meaning frameworks - Eastern concepts like ikigai are examined through a philosophical lens
Mindfulness and presence - Ancient teachings on living in the moment and managing the flow of life
Negative visualisation techniques - Stoic practices like premeditatio malorum for building resilience and appreciation
Life's impermanence - Philosophical reflections on change, mortality, and the cycles of existence
Knowledge transmission - How wisdom travels across centuries through books and ideas
Alternative spiritual practices - Philosophical approaches that challenge popular self-help trends
What readers can expect to learn: Readers will discover how ancient philosophical traditions offer sophisticated frameworks for navigating modern life's complexities. The collection translates dense philosophical concepts into accessible, actionable insights that can be immediately applied to professional challenges, personal relationships, and life decisions.
You'll learn practical Stoic techniques for managing emotions, dealing with uncertainty, and maintaining perspective during difficult times. The essays also explore deeper questions about what constitutes a meaningful life, how to handle life's inevitable changes, and how to cultivate wisdom in an age of information overload.
Rather than presenting philosophy as an abstract academic exercise, this collection demonstrates how philosophical thinking can serve as a practical toolkit for better living. The content is particularly valuable for those seeking alternatives to contemporary self-help culture and wanting to ground their personal development in time-tested wisdom that has guided humans for millennia.
Until next time, Karl (The School of Knowledge).
Whenever you’re ready
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