A recent meme in the life-advice world is that anyone can make themselves an expert. Malcolm Gladwell suggested that 10,000 hours of practice were the key to becoming world class. Anders Ericsson’s research backs this up—if you want to be good, deliberate practice is key. A bigger question is, what’s the best way to spend […]
The DIY Degree: Using Self-Education to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in 1 Year
“What’s the point of learning, if you don’t get a degree after?” This has been the biggest criticism of my MIT Challenge, and honestly, it’s not an easy one to avoid. Even if weirdos like me are willing to learn a degree outside of school, the truth is the world still values that piece of […]
TEDx – Can You Get an MIT Education for Less than $2000?
Last month I spoke at TEDxEastsidePrep about the MIT Challenge. Some highlights from the talk: The technique I’ve used to watch a semester of classes in 2 days How you can learn faster without going to school The tool you can use to figure out where your time is going I did the talk just […]
The Strangeness of Everyday Things
Have you ever repeated a word to yourself so many times that you begin to notice the strangeness of the sound it makes? The repetition begins to conceal the meaning of the word, so you notice what it actually sounds like. I’ve found the same thing happens the more you learn about a subject. As […]
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.