From Cal Newport, the Paradox of Success has two parts: Most people think they know what it takes to be successful. Most people are not successful. The idea behind the paradox of success is that, if so many people know how to be successful, why aren’t more of them doing it? Luck and drive certainly […]
Could You Walk Away From $8 Million in Easy Money?
One of my favorite stories comes from Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh. Tony sold his first company to Microsoft shortly after graduating from college. One of the conditions was that he stay for another 12 months. In exchange, he would walk away an extra $8 million richer. The work conditions weren’t strenuous, as Tony himself recounts, […]
Welcome Study Hacks Readers!
For the readers here, you can check out my recent piece on Study Hacks here: Anatomy of an A+: A Look Inside the Process of One of the World’s Most Efficient Studiers (the title is Cal’s claim, not mine). If you’re new to the site, I post once per week about motivation, productivity, learning and […]
Is What You Learn in School Really Useless?
I’ve heard the claim that, a few years out of college, most of what you’ve learned will be useless. It’s repeated so often it’s taken as fact. Obviously the claim about the value of education varies on what you study. I doubt an engineer or statistician could claim academic knowledge has no impact on their […]
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.