In many ways, breaking a bad habit is easier than creating a new, good habit. Going to the gym takes up a time slot every day you do it. But “not smoking” or “not eating junk food” don’t require you to block out any time at all. In other ways, breaking bad habits is incredibly […]
Should You Accept Your Constraints or Try to Improve Them?
One book that had a huge impact on me was The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr. The book’s thesis was simple: time-management doesn’t work because your energy is more limited than time. Before the book, I used to get frustrated with my inability to follow my own schedules. I’d carefully […]
Why the Smartest People Don’t Always Give the Best Advice: The Importance of Local Wisdom
Say you want to become a novelist: who would give you better advice on getting started, Stephen King or someone who just published their first book? I imagine most people would lean towards Stephen King. After all, he’s an incredibly successful author, so he certainly knows a lot of things that a first-time author wouldn’t. […]
My New TEDx Talk: One Simple Method to Learn Any Language
Funny story about this TEDx. We had decided, as you’ll see from the video, to open with a question to the audience. We wanted to know how many people had put effort into learning a language, but they still can’t hold conversations in it. We were expecting about half the room to raise their hand. […]
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.