“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Do introspective, intelligent people enjoy life more than the masses? Often not. Ben Casnocha wrote this after the death of David Foster Wallace. Awarded the MacArthur genius grant, Wallace was brilliant, but unfortunately, as Casnocha writes: Wallace’s suicide raises for me the question about the correlation […]
You’re Lazier Than You Think
Most people vastly overestimate their willpower. After four years of detailed feedback from readers on habit changes, I can come to no other conclusion. If willpower were cash, most people empty their wallets on the first day. Keeping this in mind, when I set the first 30 Day Trials for the group of students enrolled […]
Why Most People are Happier Working than in Their Free Time
Are you happier when you’re working, or when you have time off? Easy answer right? We work in order to have free time. Everything from basic economics to our deepest intuitions tells us that we must be happiest during our free time. Turns out we were wrong. Flow, Flipped Intuitions and A Scientist’s Name You […]
How to Conquer Your Fears – Engineer a Low Cost of Failure
A great deal of self-help emphasizes overcoming your fears. Our fears, we’re told, are the reason we aren’t sky-diving millionaires with supermodel spouses right now. A quick Google search shows over 3.2 million entries for “how to overcome fear.” The book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways was a major best-seller. Clearly there is […]
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.