I recently read an advance copy of Cal Newport’s fascinating (and controversial) new book: So Good They Can’t Ignore You. The main argument being that following your passion is bad career advice. The first problem is that, for the most part, preexisting passions don’t exist. Cal cites a study which interviewed 500+ university students to […]
The Beginner’s Guide to Learning to Program
One of the most frequent questions I get asked in emails is what’s the best way to learn how to program. In the past I’ve shied away from this question, since the internet is populated by much better programmers than myself. However, while there are many guides to learning a specific programming languages or tool, […]
Work Less to Get More Done
For several years now I’ve used a productivity trick called weekly/daily goals. I’ve written about it many times before, but the gist is simple: You keep two to-do lists, one for the day and one for the week. As the week goes by, move items from your weekly to daily list. When working, only focus […]
Should You Learn New Skills or Master Old Ones?
A recent meme in the life-advice world is that anyone can make themselves an expert. Malcolm Gladwell suggested that 10,000 hours of practice were the key to becoming world class. Anders Ericsson’s research backs this up—if you want to be good, deliberate practice is key. A bigger question is, what’s the best way to spend […]
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.