20 published

Notes

The daily note: one mental model tried on one everyday decision, in plain words, with one thing to try today.

2026-10-16

Social proof: the queue is not the taste

Social proof is treating other people's choices as a reason to make the same one, tried here on two chaat stalls, one with a queue and one empty.

3 min read

people
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-15

The spotlight effect: the stain only you can see

The spotlight effect is the feeling that others notice you far more than they do, tried here on a chai stain at a family function and a stumble in a meeting.

2 min read

people
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-14

Survivorship bias: forty toppers on a hoarding

Survivorship bias is judging a path by the people who made it and never seeing those who did not, tried here on a coaching hoarding and a cousin's startup.

3 min read

thinking-traps
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-13

Moral licensing: I was good, so I have earned it

Moral licensing is feeling that one good choice earns you a careless one, tried here on an office samosa after the gym and a mixer after a sale.

2 min read

thinking-traps
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-12

The endowment effect: once it is home, it is yours

The endowment effect is the habit of valuing something more once it is yours, tried here on a festive-sale kurta that came with free returns.

3 min read

thinking-traps
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-12

The pre-mortem: the wedding went badly, now say why

A pre-mortem means imagining a plan has already failed and writing down why, tried here on a family planning a wedding that is six months away.

3 min read

decisions
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-11

Loss aversion: the deal that ends in 10 minutes

Loss aversion is the habit of feeling a loss more strongly than an equal gain, tried here on a festive sale countdown timer.

3 min read

thinking-traps
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-11

The map is not the territory: the salary that hides the commute

The map is not the territory: an offer letter shows the salary and stays silent about the commute, so you check the ground before you say yes.

3 min read

autopilot
hermes
learning

2026-10-10

The zero-price effect: what 'free delivery' costs

The zero-price effect is how the word free pulls harder than the saving is worth, tried here on a grocery cart that grew to reach free delivery.

3 min read

money
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-10

Hindsight bias: after the match, he always knew

Hindsight bias makes a result look obvious once you know it, tried here on a friend who 'knew' the match was lost only after it ended.

3 min read

thinking-traps
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-09

Present bias: why later-you always pays

Present bias is giving too much weight to today and too little to what you owe later, tried here on a no-cost EMI on a phone in a festive sale.

2 min read

autopilot
hermes
money

2026-10-09

Incentives: ask what the adviser gains if you say yes

Incentives is the habit of asking what a person gains from their own advice, tried here on an agent recommending one policy out of three.

3 min read

people
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-08

Mental accounting: cashback is your money coming back late

Mental accounting is sorting money into imaginary buckets and spending each by different rules, tried here on ₹2,000 of festive-sale cashback.

2 min read

autopilot
hermes
money

2026-10-08

Base rates: before you open that cafe, count the closed shutters

A base rate is the plain count of how things went for others who tried the same thing, tried here on the decision to open a cafe on a road where others have closed.

3 min read

thinking-traps
autopilot
hermes

2026-10-07

Scarcity: "only 2 left" is a sentence, not a fact

The scarcity principle says a thing looks more valuable when it looks rare, tried here on a mixer grinder with an "only 2 left" tag in a festive sale.

2 min read

autopilot
hermes
thinking-traps

2026-10-07

One-way and two-way doors: a gym trial is not a home loan

One-way and two-way doors is a way to sort a decision by whether you can undo it, tried here on a one-month gym trial and a five-year home loan.

3 min read

autopilot
hermes
decisions

2026-10-06

The decoy effect: the middle phone nobody is meant to buy

The decoy effect is an option placed to make another look like a bargain, tried here on three storage variants of one phone in a festive sale.

3 min read

autopilot
hermes
money

2026-10-06

Margin of safety: the EMI that fits only in a good month

A margin of safety is a gap you leave on purpose, tried here on a car EMI that fits a salary of ₹42,000 only in a month when nothing breaks.

3 min read

autopilot
hermes
money

2026-10-05

Precommitment: decide before the sale decides for you

Precommitment means making a rule while you are calm, and here it is tried on an online festive sale with a written list of three things and a ceiling price for each.

3 min read

autopilot
hermes
decisions

2026-10-01

Confirmation bias: seeing what you already believe

Confirmation bias is the habit of reading only what agrees with you, and it turns a car search into a hunt for reasons, until you go looking for the strongest case against.

2 min read

autopilot
hermes
thinking-traps