[whorleater]

IMO mental models are relatively useless for what they're supposed to do on the tin, but they're useful for illuminating aspects of the world that would've been left otherwise undiscovered, like a unknown-unknowns thing. Like this article says, most mental models don't survive codification, but do make for fun reading, similar to a healthy-snack version of books.

[Matticus_Rex]

It depends on what you do. I read about mental models for a long time before any of them became useful for me. Working at a startup right out of law school there were a few that were relevant for my job, but nothing earth-shattering. Years later in a different job where I make a lot of business decisions, consult internally on marketing strategy, and deal with a lot of metrics, I use a lot of the specific Farnam Street-style models constantly.