Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life

by Ozan Varol

Before I explain how first-principles thinking works, we’ll begin by exploring two obstacles to it. You’ll learn why knowledge can be a vice, rather than a virtue, and how a road engineer in the Roman Empire ended up determining the width of NASA’s space shuttle. You’ll discover the invisible rules that are holding you back and learn how to get rid of them. I’ll explain how a pharmaceutical giant and the US military use the same strategy to fend off threats and why killing your business might be the best way to save it. We’ll explore why subtracting, rather than adding, is the key to innovation and how a mental model can help simplify your life. You’ll walk away from the chapter with practical strategies for putting first-principles thinking to work in your own life.