Knowledge Marketplace
My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Back to Mental Models

Infinite vs Finite Games for Business

Finite games are played to win and end, infinite games are played to keep playing. In business, this translates to building sustainable systems versus optimizing for specific outcomes.

Decision Rule

Ask yourself: 'Am I trying to achieve something and stop, or am I building something I want to do indefinitely?' Choose strategies accordingly.

How It Works

Finite game thinking leads to burnout and dissatisfaction after achieving goals. Infinite game thinking creates sustainable motivation and compound benefits over time.

Failure Modes

Treating infinite games like finite ones (working toward retirement)

Having no scoreboard in infinite games (no metrics to make progress interesting)

Switching between finite and infinite mindsets inconsistently

Example Decision

Choosing to build a business you enjoy running long-term rather than optimizing for a quick exit, because you want to keep playing the business game rather than win once and stop