My new motto for 2010, inspired by Cal’s similar suggestion, is to work hard, but commit to less. To be fair, it isn’t a new motto. I’ve been running with this one for the latter half of 2009, so it isn’t exactly a resolution, but an affirmation of what I’ve already been doing. However, even […]
The Crowd is Stupid (You Don’t Need Genius to Beat Them)
“They say that for every open audition for a role, there are 500 applicants. But that isn’t too important, so long as you remember 490 of those applicants are idiots.” This was an example given to me by Cal Newport (although the origin is lost). The numbers aren’t real, but I think the message is […]
Know Which Stairs to Climb (Or How I Trained to do a Pistol Squat)
Recently, I managed to complete my first pistol squat. A pistol squat is a one-legged squat where you hold the inactive leg straight out in front of you. It requires considerably more balance and strength to do than a regular one legged squat. Finishing it got me thinking about a big problem that prevents many […]
What if You Have More Than One Passion?
If you have many different passions, pursue all of them. Recently, I’ve had a couple emails from readers explaining that their problem is simply having too many passions. Far from being members of the apathetic masses, these people seem to have difficulty focusing because there are simply so many things to be interested about. I […]
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.