If I had to speculate what was the biggest obstacle to learning well, I wouldn’t guess reading speed, memory or even procrastination. I’d say it was metalearning. It’s important, and most people are lousy at it. “Meta” is a prefix that gets added to things that are about themselves. Metaphilosophy is the philosophy of philosophy. […]
Break Your Map
In the process of getting better at something there are two mistakes that hold you back. The first kind is the mistake of not knowing. Not knowing how the market works, which major to choose, what to do. If I wanted to start a business selling industrial solvents, I suffer under the first error. I […]
Why You’re Lazy (and How to Fix It)
After spending a year working through MIT’s computer science curriculum independently, I’ve gotten quite a few comments from people claiming I must have extraordinary self-discipline. I let that vanity sink in a bit, but then remember I procrastinated for a week to pack for my last trip, ending up doing it all last minute. The […]
Are Habits the Enemy of Mastery?
In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell helped popularize the notion of 10,000 hours of practice. The idea being that it takes around a decade of consistent practice to become world-class at anything. The idea of 10,000 hours evokes the sense that mastery is mostly a process of endlessly slogging away at a craft. What’s interesting […]
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.