A lot of ideas sound right when you hear them, but don’t feel right when you do them. This is often because they have unseen side effects that aren’t immediately obvious when you first learn them. One such idea is that focus matters more than time management. That is to say, it’s better to have […]
Don’t Be Afraid to Go at Your Own Pace
It’s okay to learn slowly. That might sound funny from a guy who is known (perhaps even notorious) for trying to learn things faster, but it’s true. My motivation for doing the MIT Challenge was (a) to see if I could do it and (b) if I could, hopefully help other people imagine self-education goals […]
Building, Searching and the Algorithm for Finding the Best Spouse
Let me tell you about my favorite mathematical proof. It’s for a puzzle called the marriage problem (alternatively called the secretary problem or the sultan’s dowry). It’s my favorite for belonging to a rare category of “mathematical proofs which also have to do with sex.” The problem is very simple: Suppose you are looking to […]
Learning on Steroids is Open (For the Last Time)
Chances are if you’ve been following my blog over the last few years, you’ve heard me talk about Learning on Steroids. This is the program I’ve been running which teaches everything I know about how to learn more effectively. Everything I’ve learned from the MIT Challenge, the Year Without English and my research, has been […]
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.