I recently had a chance to sit down with a friend who has been doing incredible things with his career and business. He offered to sit me down, walk through my current operations and help me figure out a strategy to take things to the next level. We ended up talking for a little over […]
Should You Maintain an (Almost) Empty Reading Queue?
Years ago, I made a realization that changed how I write. That realization was that I’m weird and almost nobody reads the way I do. Previously, I thought my blog reading habits were pretty typical. Subscribe to a dozen or so blogs, and read most of the articles they write. If I find myself skimming […]
Improve Creative Skills by Reducing Degrees of Freedom
In the original research on deliberate practice, an important distinction is made between work and practice. The goal of work is to accomplish something. The goal of practice is to learn. Work is a basketball game or recital. Practice is layup drills or training your fingers to master a tricky combination of notes. Unfortunately creating […]
Different Kinds of Difficulty
How difficult is it to learn a new language, start a business, or write a book? These are common questions, but unfortunately the answers you’ll get from people aren’t very satisfying. The problem is that the word “difficulty” is horribly imprecise. There are different kinds of difficulty, and although the English language likes to lump […]
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.