How often do you catch yourself saying, “I wish I were better at _____.” Maybe you want to be better at exercising regularly, your relationships or your work. Maybe you’d like to be more artistic, athletic or multilingual. Getting better at things requires work. It doesn’t happen too often that you can immediately get better […]
The Problem with Advice
If you want to eat healthy, you need to have a balance between eating too much and too little. If you want to be responsible with money, you need to balance between saving enough to enjoy your future and spending enough to meet your needs today. Not too much, not too little. Most problems in […]
How to Read More Books
A couple commenters, in response to my semi-regular reading list, have asked me how I manage to read so many books. Reading more books seems to be a goal for many people, so I thought I’d briefly share my approach. Why Read Books? Before I start, I’d like to state firmly that I don’t believe […]
How Much Theory Should You Learn for Practical Skills?
I’ve met a number of self-taught programmers. These are people who make their living programming every day, but never went to school to learn how to do it. A few of these people have expressed a mild regret for not learning more computer science. They know how to program well, but they don’t have a […]
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.