The best productivity advice I ever received was to accept my inner slacker. I believe most people overestimate how much willpower and motivation they will have when setting goals. Their inner slacker gets the best of them, and they fail to meet the perfect standards they set for themselves. But, if you accept your inherent […]
Staying in the Game
I recently mentioned that I used to have a win/lose approach to my goals in life. I’d decide what I want. If I achieved it I won. If I didn’t achieve it, I lost. I now realize that this is one of the worst attitudes you can have, despite being promoted frequently as a motivation […]
Do You Trust Your Productivity System?
Cal Newport, author of Study Hacks an excellent student productivity blog, offered an interesting idea to me in a recent conversation: More important than the type of productivity system you use is that you trust it. Nothing is worse that the people who attempt to follow a plan, and then (either in anxiety or guilt) […]
The First Step and the Thousandth
The first step in a run has the same impact as the thousandth, both moving you a meter or two further. But while the distance is the same, the mental activity to take the first step is completely different than the thousandth. The first step is going from sitting on the couch to getting out […]
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.