There’s enough time in life to become mediocre at a lot of things. But there isn’t enough time to get really good at more than a couple. Most people don’t even get really good at one. How do you figure out which skills are worth mastering? It’s a difficult question, and one I’ve often struggled […]
Be Bold, Presumptuous and Stop Caring About What Others Think
A reader recently referred me to this project to break into the top 250 table tennis players in the UK in one year. What happened? He failed. In his own words: “The challenge ended a week ago and I am still nowhere near the top 250. I wasn’t even good enough to get an official […]
Watch us Speak all Four Languages in Three Minutes
As a wrap-up to our Year Without English project, Vat and I had a quick conversation in all four languages we learned during the trip (Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese and Korean). You can now watch all our videos on our YouTube channel, including all four mini-documentaries and the longer interviews we held in each language. […]
Are There Books You Should Reread Every Year?
I have friends who have books they read every year. Rereading the same book repeatedly seems to offer them new insights on each passing. Stephen Marche claims to have read Hamlet over 100 times. According to him, this extreme rereading, “provides the physical activity of reading without the mental acuity usually required.” This allows him […]
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.