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Faster Than Normal. (2026). Half-life Mental Model. Faster Than Normal. https://fasterthannormal.co/mental-models/half-life
“Half-life Mental Model.” Faster Than Normal, 2026, https://fasterthannormal.co/mental-models/half-life. Accessed March 28, 2026.
Faster Than Normal. “Half-life Mental Model.” Faster Than Normal. Accessed March 28, 2026. https://fasterthannormal.co/mental-models/half-life.
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Mental model
Adaptation & Red Queen Effect
In competitive environments, continuous adaptation is required just to maintain
Mental model
Complex Adaptive Systems
Systems composed of many interacting agents that self-organise, adapt, and produ
Mental model
Critical Mass
The minimum threshold of resources, users, or energy needed for a process to bec
Mental model
Entropy
All ordered systems tend toward disorder over time unless energy is continuously
Mental model
Flywheel
A self-reinforcing cycle where each push builds momentum — no single action crea
Mental model
Incentives
People respond to what they are rewarded or punished for — not to what they are
Half-life applied the Compounding mental model
Half-life applied the First-Mover mental model
Half-life applied the Utility mental model
Half-life applied the Half-life mental model
Half-life applied the Time Horizon mental model
Half-life applied the Churn mental model