One of the common questions I get asked about my ultralearning projects, such as the MIT Challenge, is how to keep up hard mental effort for long periods of time. During that project, for instance, my starting point was to study for 11-12 hours per day, five days a week. Starting at six in the […]
Unraveling the Enigma of Reason
My favorite book of last year was Dan Sperber and Hugo Mercier’s The Enigma of Reason. I covered it in my book club as a podcast, but the ideas are so interesting that I wanted to take a second chance to explain them. The basic puzzle is this: If reason is so useful, why do […]
The Three Different Types of Luck
Luck is obviously an important consideration if you’re aiming to be successful at anything. But what does it mean for someone successful to be lucky? I can think of three main ways. The first is when the element of chance occurs before that person comes into the world. This kind of luck is pervasive and […]
Is Old Advice Better?
Should you pay more attention to wisdom, when it comes from an ancient source? Or should you stick to advice that heeds closer to the scientific principles and moral scruples of our current time? Some argue that ancient wisdom is definitively better. There are some good reasons for this. First, there’s probably a filtering effect […]
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.