I’m working on a new book about ultralearning, the style of aggressive self-education in the MIT Challenge and Year Without English, and I’d like your help. One of my goals in the book is to feature stories and examples of excellent self-directed learning. To do that, I’m not only hunting down contemporary examples of people […]
Cultivating the Skill of Figuring Things Out
There’s a skill I’ve noticed some people possess which, for lack of a better term, I’ll call the ability to figure things out. Some people are really good at figuring things out. Give them an ambiguous problem and they’ll investigate, try things out, push through frustration and solve it. Other people are terrible at figuring […]
How Ben Franklin Learned to Write Persuasively
Ben Franklin was an incredible writer. In addition to his role in writing the United States Constitution, he was also a bestselling author, with his Poor Richard’s Almanac selling in the tens of thousands per year. Writing and changing minds being so important to his success in life, it’s worth asking how he managed to […]
Book Club: Predictably Irrational (September 2017)
Vat Jaiswal and I discuss Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. In this newly revised and expanded edition of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. From drinking coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, we consistently overpay, […]
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.