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I'm going out on an edge today. A razor's edge. Two in fact: Hanlon's and Occam’s. You have likely heard of Hanlon's Razor which offers that we should "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." Occam's Razor proffers that "Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected."
In philosophy, a razor works like a real blade and helps us to shave off excess. In many respects they operate as safety razor's, stopping us from doing harm.
Hanlon's Razor is the most obvious mental safety device. I was taught to receive all communications with positive intent front of mind. Email especially, which is very prone to being either poorly written or hastily read. Negative intent oozes from the pores of email. The potential for career damage from a misunderstood email is very great.
Occam's Razor is a maxim that helps reduce excessive cognitive expenditure. I'm not sure if the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid) originated from Occam's Razor but it's easy to see probable origins. Essentially Occam's Razor tells us to choose the simpler explanation or follow the simpler path over the more complex.
As mental models, both of these are extremely useful as base assumptions. They counteract our seemingly deep human capacity to make up stories and complicate matters. How many times have you been angry at someone who "cut's you off in traffic intentionally" when most likely the driver was oblivious? How often have you completely misunderstood an email! How many hours, days and weeks have you fretted over a decision and failed to act?
Practice Hanlon's Razor next time you feel your blood pressure rising as you read a missive from one of your less favorite colleagues. Practice Occam's Razor when you realize you are obsessing over how to start a project or make a decision. Pick the simpler place to start, you can always add complexity if required. Excessive mental deliberation is a bug not a feature.