Last week, I wrote about how a major cause of failure is simple: not working hard enough. If you’re only spending 30 minutes per week at the gym, your specific exercise plan doesn’t really matter. You aren’t reaching the minimum effort threshold needed for success. The idea that all goals have a minimum effort threshold […]
Execution is More Important Than Planning
The perfect plan, poorly executed, will fail. A lousy plan, well executed, is often successful. It may seem obvious, but way to fix a failure is often simple: work harder. If you fail to lose weight on a diet, is your diet the problem? Or is the problem that you didn’t follow it consistently enough? […]
Walk Slowly So You Don’t Trip
“Take your most conservative estimate for the amount of time you need. Then double it. That’s your most realistic deadline.” –Software Development Maxim “People tend to overestimate what they will accomplish in one year, but underestimate what they will accomplish in five.” –Steve Pavlina The more time you give yourself to complete a goal, the […]
Just Because It Won’t Cost Money, Doesn’t Make It Free
Free is a special word in the human language. The idea of getting something without money causes people’s brains to fall out. People unwittingly waste hours of their time and thousands of dollars because they’re seduced by “free”. But, as economists will tell you, even if something won’t cost you a dime, that doesn’t mean […]
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.