Recently, I shared my list of foundational practices—the basic things everyone should do to live better. Of course, my choices are personal. Your list might differ a little from mine. Most people, however, tended to agree with my choices. Foundational practices should be obvious. If they weren’t, there would be some controversy over how useful […]
Live Chat on the Science of Motivation (and Q&A)
This week I’m going to do a live conversation discussing some of the findings in my recently published Complete Guide to Motivation. The conversation is going to be held at 2pm Pacific Time on Friday, November 20th. The presentation will be free to attend. It’s not a pitch or warm-up to any kind of product […]
The Paradox of Effort
Where does the motivation come from to improve your life? At first glance, this seems like a strange question: why wouldn’t you automatically want things to be better? But the good life is hard work, so we often fail to do the things we know would make our lives better. Cal Newport told me that, […]
The Complete Guide to Motivation
Why do you do what you do? Why do you feel motivated to do some things, but not others? How does your environment, experiences and personality impact your motivation? Can you change your motivation and alter the direction of your life? Motivation matters. But it’s also mysterious. We all know what it feels like to […]
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.