A mental model is a pattern in reality that shows up again and again. Once you recognize one, it starts to pop-up everywhere. Understand how it works, and you can recognize something deep about the universe. Here are the ten mental models that have impacted my thinking the most: 1. The Margin Listen to this […]

A common misunderstanding is to confuse an effective strategy with a merely effortful one. Effective strategies are usually effortful. It’s rare that something is both effective and effortless. If you’re doing the real thing, it’s going to require some work. But the real thing done slowly and patiently is still the real thing. A fake […]

Our podcast has now reached 100 episodes! To mark the occasion, I recorded a conversation with my good friend, Cal Newport, author of the bestsellers Deep Work, Digital Minimalism and So Good They Can’t Ignore You. · Some of my favorite parts: 5:45 – What are the biggest misconceptions about becoming an author or academic? […]

A month ago, I started learning my wife’s native language, Macedonian. To do that, we’re only speaking Macedonian at home with each other. Here’s a brief video with subtitles sharing the progress I’ve made so far: I also recorded a longer lesson with my tutor, Jovan, to show what a typical lesson looks like for […]