No. 142 · Work · Military and War
Two-Front War
Fighting two battles at once often means losing both.
In the Almanac
“The Schlieffen Plan”, 1905–1918 · “Toys R Us”, 2005–2018
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
Get the AlmanacListen · Watch
Questions
What is Two-Front War?
A Two-Front War is a struggle on two separate fronts at the same time. Resources and attention get split, and opponents on both sides simply need to hold while you wear thin.
How do you use Two-Front War?
Use it to sequence your battles. Finish one project before launching another, clear debt before a big new commitment, and avoid stacking major life changes in the same month. When two fronts are unavoidable, simplify one or find an ally.
When does Two-Front War matter?
Two-Front War is one of the 43 mental models for work, the situations where you ask: How do I get the right things done? Within that, it belongs to “Focus and priorities”, alongside Bikeshedding, Law of Diminishing Returns and Leverage.
What is an example of Two-Front War?
Two stories show it at work: The Schlieffen Plan (1905–1918) and Toys R Us (2005–2018). 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 Two-Front War?
Tyranny of Small Decisions, Arms Race and Entropy. Two-Front War itself comes from military and war.