Is having goals making you unhappy? This has always been a difficult question for myself, with pundits on both sides trying to make the answers seem cut and dried. I think the answer is a little more complex. Goal-setters often describe their goalless counterparts as being lazy wanders who never accomplish anything. They never learn […]
9 Planning Traps and How Not to Get Caught
If you’re like most people, you’re horrible at planning. Even if you think you’re pretty good. Most of the blame goes to some unique weaknesses of the human brain. They cleverly omit areas of uncertainty and blind you to potential traps. I used to be awful at planning. If it weren’t for stored written records […]
The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes
Starting anything new involves mistakes. Tons of them, if you plan on being good. Although you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, there are a few that often go ignored. These mistakes accompany the first phase of anything and it is easy to repeat them in everything new that you do. I don’t claim […]
Don’t Confuse a Degree with Learning
A few weeks ago I held an informal survey on this website. One of the questions was, “What do you want to learn?” I got back a myriad of responses but one trait stuck out. Many people answered that they wanted to get a particular degree or academic status. I’m worried when people start equating […]
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.