If you want to get in shape, don’t buy running shoes. Instead, go out and run. There is genuine work and all the activities that feel, smell and taste like work but accomplish nothing. Worse than accomplishing nothing, these feel-good tasks reduce your motivation to do something useful. Contrary to a lot of self-help wisdom, […]
What MMORPGs Can Teach You About Physical Fitness
As a kid, I used to play online roleplaying games occasionally. One element of the game I always found addictive was the ability to level-up your character. Generally you would start with a character without any skills, and you would eventually have to train your character to become stronger. As an adult, I realized that […]
How to Change a Habit – Expansion
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle If you’re struggling to reach a goal, the problem is often that lousy habits are getting in the way. Two years ago, I wrote How to Change a Habit, a guide that has been downloaded hundreds of times. The […]
Doubt
Feeling doubt isn’t a sin. Life will always be uncertain, and the correct decision isn’t always obvious. It’s better to learn to live with doubts, and act anyways, than to try to eliminate them altogether. One piece of advice I dislike about traditional self-help, is the focus on eliminating all doubt. Yes, it is easier […]
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.