Goal-setting has its strengths and weaknesses. They can give you immense clarity and focus when you are lost and confused. They can push you to grow when you might otherwise think of turning back. However, goals can also harm. Obsessive goal-setters can lose sight of the bigger picture, endlessly chasing objective after objective only to […]
Creative Constraints
Is more choice always better? Our culture of consuming would seemingly make that to be the case. More choices, more options, all with greater convenience than ever before. Constraints are definitely a bad thing, right? I disagree with the philosophy that more choice is always better. I believe that sometimes imposing additional constraints on a […]
Daily To-Do Lists
I’ve picked up hundreds of different techniques for productivity but relatively few of them stick. Some of them may be good ideas but I just don’t see them fitting well into my life and others are downright lousy. Four months ago I dumped a huge proportion of the built in habits and productivity techniques I […]
How to Get Back Into a Good Mood
Ever feel lousy, bored or even downright depressed? We all have our moments, but how do you take a bad turn into a negative emotional state and flip it around? I believe that the overall amount of happiness you experience in your life isn’t based upon how much pain you are dealt but how you […]
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.