Should you become an expert like Newton? Discover the philosophy behind the first 20 hours, mastery and learning as a beginner.
How to Use Feedback
If you want to improve your skills, products or performance, you need feedback. Without feedback, you’re limited to only your perspective, and that’s rarely the one that counts. The tricky part is that feedback can be misleading. Henry Ford famously remarked that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster […]
What’s Your Growth Ratio?
If you’re running a business, you’ll often find your time split between two types of tasks. The first are maintenance tasks—these are the activities that sustain, but don’t substantially improve, the underlying business. The second are business development tasks that fortify the assets that generate your income. Your growth ratio is simply the hours you […]
How Much Specialization?
You’re reading this article because of the power of specialization. I certainly wouldn’t be spending today writing an article if I had to grow all my own food, build my own house and sew my own clothing. Without specialization, the internet wouldn’t exist either. Ditto for computers, cars, antibiotics and probably everything more sophisticated than […]
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.