Cal Newport and I have worked the last three years on developing Top Performer, a course in applying the insights of deliberate practice to becoming really good at your work. This process has taken us through years of pilot classes and experiments–all trying to figure out what is the best method for rapidly crafting the […]
There Are No Hard Subjects, Only Missing Prerequisites
The common view of learning is that some subjects are clearly harder than others. Quantum mechanics is a lot harder than, say, learning state capitals. This idea points to some domains of knowledge as being intrinsically harder than others. A related idea, being that if some ideas are intrinsically harder than others, and some people […]
Ultralearning Case Study: Learning Cognitive Science
Recently, I introduced the concept of ultralearning—deep, intense self-education. This kind of learning is characterized by grappling with deep concepts and hard practice. My bigger learning projects have used this approach out of necessity. If you’re trying to learn something like differential equations or Chinese characters in a short period of time, those constraints make […]
Which Ideas are Overrated?
“All models are wrong, but some are useful.” – George Box There are some ideas which are true. “2+2=4” is an idea that is hard to doubt. There are also ideas which are false. “The moon is made of cheese” is wrong, no matter how you look at it. But most ideas are somewhat in-between—neither […]
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.