I first learned about the 30 Day Trial when I read Steve Pavlina’s short, but influential article, 30 Days to Success. The core idea of the trial was simple: focus on one change, for a month and it would become a habit. After a month, the behavior would be automatic and wouldn’t require willpower or […]
Set a Higher Baseline
For the last several months, I’ve written four articles a week for this website, plus Friday Links. That’s my baseline. Although occasionally I’ll do more, I take every step possible to ensure I don’t do less. Having this baseline means I occasionally miss the super-productive weeks where I could have written seven or eight articles. […]
The High Price of Paying Attention
I think most people are wildly overconfident in their multitasking ability. I remember reading (sorry, no link) that the brain processes over 11,000 sensory inputs every second. Out of those, only 40 reach the level of conscious thinking. Paying attention has a high price and focus, not time management or GTD, is crucial for productivity. […]
Finding Motivation for Improbable Goals
In two previous articles, I wrote about my desire to live a completely digital life. A digital lifestyle is when all of your income generation doesn’t depend on a location. Preferably through a business (although freelancing and a few jobs would allow you to go digital), this would mean you can live anywhere in the […]
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.