In my course I teach with Cal Newport, we encourage students to cultivate rare and valuable skills in order to improve your career. Among the countless ways you could potentially improve your career, we focus on this approach for a few key reasons. First, actually increasing the value you provide employers, clients and customers directly […]
The Overkill Approach: How to Solve the Hardest Problems You Face
Do a search online for any kind of “how to” question, and what do you notice? Most, if not all, of the searches you’ll do will lead to answers that explain “what” you should do. Which method you should use, where to do it, what materials, etc. Far less of the advice will focus on […]
How to Memorize a Speech
Giving a good speech is a kind of paradoxical task. On the one hand, nobody likes a reader. If you’re looking down at your notes, or worse, simply reading off the slideshow, you seem unengaged and unprepared. On the other hand, the speech should feel natural. Good speakers sound as if the words just came […]
The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Focus
Focus is one of your most valuable resources. It acts as a multiplier on the value of your time. An hour of absorbing focus can be worth ten times that of a distracted one. Unfortunately, focus is also hard. Distractions are everywhere. Even when they aren’t, it can often be difficult to get into a […]