How much should you worry about forgetting things? In one sense, forgetting is a very real problem. How many of us could still pass exams for classes we took in college? How many dust-covered books sit on your shelf which you’ve forgotten the plot? Knowledge, like all things, decays with time. It would be nice […]
Life of Focus: Focused Work Update (Month One)
Last month, Cal Newport and I released a new course, Life of Focus. The course covers three months dedicated to cultivating focus in three areas: work, life and mind. One thing that makes a course like this different is that it centers on month-long challenges. Thus even if you’re already relatively focused, you can use […]
The 7 Essential Rituals for Focused Work
Focus is incredibly important. But often we struggle to turn it on when we need it. The right rituals can help a lot. The human brain is a giant association machine. As neuropsychologist Donald Hebb famously put it, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” Repeated patterns form stronger connections. Thus if you pair a consistent […]
What are the Limits of Building Better Habits?
My first set of articles I wrote that got my blog some attention were a series called Habitual Mastery. At the time I had spent a couple years extensively working on my habits through thirty-day trials. The series was an attempt to condense my observations into usable advice. For someone who has never put serious […]
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.