Last week I did a live workshop for the students in Learning on Steroids. One of the listeners asked me whether I knew a way to reduce sleep to 5-6 hours and not feel tired. No, I don’t. And you shouldn’t try. Similarly, when I was in university, I knew people who often bragged about […]
Why You’re Probably Not Working as Much as You Think You Are
People who’ve never done a timelog before often grossly overestimate the amount of time they are actually working. Years ago I had a friend who was launching a software company and earnestly told me that he was putting in 12-hour work days to achieve this. Despite that, I could see him making dozens of online […]
Double your output (while working fewer hours)
In this post I’m going to share a trick I’ve used to double the work I’ve managed to get done, while working fewer hours. Without it, I’m certain I couldn’t have finished the MIT Challenge. Before I share the method, however, I’m going to tell you why it works. First, I want you to ask […]
Why Focus (not Effort) is the Key to Getting Stuff Done
Around the time I started this blog, I was obsessed with habits. The psychology is fascinating and the idea that you could reprogram your behavior was compelling. After all, how much could you accomplish if you never failed to act on what you planned? The science of behavior change makes it exciting too: operant and […]
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.