No. 29 · Decisions · Military and War
Burn the Boats
Removing the way back can turn a hesitant effort into total commitment.
In the Almanac
“Cortés at Veracruz”, 1519 · “Zappos”, 1999–2009
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Burn the Boats?
Burn the Boats means removing your escape routes so the only way forward is success. The phrase comes from Hernán Cortés, who in 1519 scuttled his ships in Mexico so his men could not turn back. Without a fallback, focus and commitment sharpen dramatically.
How do you use Burn the Boats?
Use it selectively for goals that need total commitment. Remove easy exits by prepaying, deleting distractions, or giving away what tempts you back to old habits. Make public commitments to add accountability, but save this approach for choices you are truly ready to go all in on.
When does Burn the Boats matter?
Burn the Boats is one of the 35 mental models for decisions, the situations where you ask: Which way should I go? Within that, it belongs to “Committing, and when not to”, alongside Circle of Competence, Devil’s Advocate Position and Nuclear Option.
What is an example of Burn the Boats?
Two stories show it at work: Cortés at Veracruz (1519) and Zappos (1999–2009). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Burn the Boats?
Forcing Function, Preserving Optionality and Commitment and Consistency Bias. Burn the Boats itself comes from military and war.