Note-taking is an incredibly powerful tool for learning. Notes extend your memories. I’ve explained before how writing can be seen as an external enhancement of your brain, allowing you to think more complicated thoughts and solve harder problems. Notes you keep, therefore, act to expand your memory. Notes enhance your focus. The act of taking […]
How to Push Past Your Analysis Paralysis
You know you should really get started but you can’t. What if you make the wrong choice? What if you start it out the wrong way, and it all gets ruined? You start to feel that weight in your stomach, that tension in your chest, as you feel a little panic about the idea of […]
How to Make Hard Life Decisions
Where should you go to school? What should you study? Whom should you marry? Should you have kids? Where should you live? These are all hard decisions. In particular, they’re hard for a few reasons: There’s more than one (socially) acceptable answer. Our cultures often nudge us to make hard decisions by making one answer […]
How to Get Feedback
Feedback is essential for learning. Whether you’re studying for a test, trying to improve in your work or want to master a difficult skill, you need feedback. The challenge is that feedback can often be hard to get. Worse, if you get bad feedback, you may end up worse than before. In a systematic meta-analysis […]
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.