No. 172 · Strategy · Physics
Center of Gravity
Find the one point everything depends on, then protect it or aim there.
In the Almanac
“Clausewitz’s Schwerpunkt”, 1832 · “Bloomberg L.P.”, 1982–today
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
Get the AlmanacQuestions
What is Center of Gravity?
In physics, the center of gravity is where an object's weight is concentrated. As a mental model, it's the core source of strength in any system, the hub everything else depends on.
How do you use Center of Gravity?
Use it to focus. Protect the activity that drives most of your results, guard the habit that holds the others up, like sleep, and look for the other side's real concern in a negotiation. Revisit it often, because centers can shift over time.
When does Center of Gravity matter?
Center of Gravity is one of the 56 mental models for strategy, the situations where you ask: How do I win when others want the same thing? Within that, it belongs to “Finding your advantage”, alongside Barriers to Entry, Economies of Scale and Moats.
What is an example of Center of Gravity?
Two stories show it at work: Clausewitz’s Schwerpunkt (1832) and Bloomberg L.P. (1982–today). 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 Center of Gravity?
Pareto Principle, Bottlenecks and Divide and Conquer. Center of Gravity itself comes from physics.