A common piece of productivity advice is to wake up early. This can make sense. Waking up early lets you capture more of the quiet morning hours. There’s fewer social distractions. Combined with starting work right away, it can be a powerful ritual to get stuff done. However, waking up early also has its downsides. […]
Book Club: The Selfish Gene (May 2018)
This month we read The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. If you would like to stream audio on your browser, click here listen on Soundcloud About the book: Evolution by natural selection is a topic that many people either champion or dismiss, but far fewer really understand. As one of the fundamental patterns of nature, I […]
Lesson One: What most people get wrong about effective learning
I’m going to be reopening another session of my popular course, Rapid Learner, next Monday (May 14, 2018). Before that, I’m going to be sharing some of the most important lessons to help you learn better with less wasted time and effort. This is the first lesson in a four-part lesson series. The remaining three […]
Book Club: The Enigma of Reason (April 2018)
This month we read The Enigma of Reason. In the book, Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber consider a double enigma: If reason is so valuable, such a boon to our cognition, why did it evolve only in human beings? Second, if reason is supposed to be so good, why are we so bad at it? […]
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.