The most popular articles on this website are also the posts with the most negative comments. It took me awhile to realize this, but hate mail can actually be a sign you’re doing something right. Truly awful stuff gets ignored. It’s only the ideas that are new, involve risks or push boundaries that get hate […]
Productivity Tips from High-School Chemistry: Build a Motivation Catalyst
In chemistry, a catalyst is a chemical that speeds up a reaction but isn’t involved in the reaction itself. Iron rusts more quickly with saltwater, even though rusting results from just iron and oxygen. Catalysts lower the energy needed to trigger a reaction. Similarly, a motivation catalyst lowers the amount of energy you need to […]
The Power of Complements: Get Obsessive Results, Without the Obsession
How do you become completely focused towards a goal without burning yourself out? Even if your motivation for finishing a project, getting in shape or graduating summa cum laude is high, 100% focus is almost impossible to keep up. Does achievement require obsession, or is there another way? The most obvious solution to the burnout […]
20 Tips for Accelerating a Creative Flow
Creativity is more than just genes and genius. A big factor in how many great ideas you can make is your state of mind. Getting into the right state of mind doesn’t have to be a happy accident that hits you every once in awhile. You can engineer that state of mind to accelerate your […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.