Do you know how a bicycle works? If asked, could you say where the chain, pedals and frame are? According to a 2006 study by the University of Liverpool, maybe not. Participants in the study were asked to draw a picture of a bicycle. Later, to make sure that lack of artistic skill wasn’t a […]
Should You Know Your IQ?
As I mentioned in this post about things I’ve changed my mind on, one of them is IQ. I used to believe that IQ was unimportant or overly simplified. But I’ve since been educated against my prejudice—it is a very successful psychometric and has impressive predictive power. Still, after accepting the usefulness of a general […]
Failures of Intensity
Most advice about success, especially communicated through blog articles on the internet, is about what to do. If you want to lose weight, experts tell you what you should eat, what you shouldn’t, which exercises to do or when to do them. If you want to build a business, different experts tell you which steps […]
Getting Better at Figuring Things Out
Over the years, I’ve employed quite a few people. Sometimes it will be a contract for a one-time job. Other times it will be for regular staff. In both cases, there’s a certain quality some people possess that I’ve found immensely valuable, but rarely shows up on a resume. If I had to describe it, […]
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.