If I had to speculate what was the biggest obstacle to learning well, I wouldn’t guess reading speed, memory or even procrastination. I’d say it was metalearning. It’s important, and most people are lousy at it. “Meta” is a prefix that gets added to things that are about themselves. Metaphilosophy is the philosophy of philosophy. […]
Thoughts on the First Week Without Speaking English
Today was the first week into my year without speaking English. I wanted to share my thoughts on what it’s been like avoiding speaking English entirely, as a method to learn a language. First, though, a clarification. When I wrote my initial post about my challenge to not speak English for a year, I generated […]
My Next Project – The Year Without English
Last year, in October, I finished the MIT Challenge. Now, I’m proud to announce my next yearlong learning project The Year Without English. As with the MIT Challenge, I’ve made a central page where I’ll post all the daily conversation logs and the videos for each leg of the trip. Click here to see the […]
Rethinking “Learn it Once”
When I wrote Learn More, Study Less in 2008, one of the big pieces of advice was to “learn it once”. The main idea being that, while review is still necessary, you shouldn’t procrastinate on what you’re learning—if you don’t understand something, the pre-exam cram session isn’t the time to learn it. I stand by […]
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.