The following articles was the first lesson in a lesson series for the Rapid Learner course. The course is now closed for registrations for this session. If you would like more information on the next session, please join the waiting list. Where Learners Think Learning Happens: Watching, Listening and Reading Say you have the option […]
Want to Learn History? Read Biographies, Not History Books
History is a powerful subject. Knowing the past allows you to understand the present. Understanding history overcomes the myopia of our limited lifetimes. History shows us alternative points of view and can show that our own perspectives are often parochial and arbitrary. But history is often a hard subject to learn. Few subjects have as […]
Flow Doesn’t Lead to Mastery
The concept of flow, first introduced by psychologist Mihály Csikszentmihályi, is the enjoyable feeling that happens when you are totally immersed in an activity. You stop feeling self conscious, with your attention being completely absorbed by the task at hand. Chances are you’ve felt flow many times before. Maybe during a game, sports or even […]
How the Brain Changes with Expertise
How does the brain rewire itself as you learn things? Recently, I came across some interesting research that used fMRI to visualize how the brain changes as you learn something new. The first interesting tidbit is that brain activation goes down as you learn. The better a subject got at a skill, the less of […]
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.