There’s a skill I’ve noticed some people possess which, for lack of a better term, I’ll call the ability to figure things out. Some people are really good at figuring things out. Give them an ambiguous problem and they’ll investigate, try things out, push through frustration and solve it. Other people are terrible at figuring […]
How Ben Franklin Learned to Write Persuasively
Ben Franklin was an incredible writer. In addition to his role in writing the United States Constitution, he was also a bestselling author, with his Poor Richard’s Almanac selling in the tens of thousands per year. Writing and changing minds being so important to his success in life, it’s worth asking how he managed to […]
Is Learning Extra Languages Worth the Hassle?
One of the most common problems with language learning is forgetting. You spend months or years to build some knowledge of a language, only to find a few years later that you’re unable to speak it very well. There’s a few ways you can deal with this. One is to simply accept that forgetting is […]
Two Kinds of Difficulty
There are two reasons accomplishing something might be difficult. The first is intrinsic difficulty. Imagine you wanted to hold your breath for ten minutes straight. This is a challenging task because of the limitations of the human body. It’s exceptionally hard to do without intense training. The second is relative difficulty. Now imagine you wanted […]
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.