Richard Feynman, professor and Nobel-prize winning physicist purportedly only had an IQ of 125. Smart, but hardly in the rarefied spectrum we normally consider for genius. This trivia is usually brought up to show the ridiculousness of IQ testing. If an obvious genius doesn’t qualify for Mensa, how valid can it be for normal people? […]
Completing an MIT Physics Class in 4.5 Days?
Reprinted from my free newsletter, Learn Faster, Achieve More. Last week I sat down to write one of the hardest exams I’ve ever had to prepare for, and I’m not even a student anymore. The class was Classical Mechanics, an MIT physics class. MIT generously puts up many courses online, for free, so you can […]
The Skill of Trying Your Best
“As long as you tried your best,” was a phrase I’d hear as a kid. It was supposed to console you in the event of failure. Reminding you that, as long as you put your best effort in, then it didn’t matter if you lost. Hearing that phrase as an adult, I wonder how often […]
Step One is Showing Up
My roommate was trying to get in shape. He talked about the goal often, so I offered to help him stay motivated. However, on the day that we were going to exercise, he was procrastinating. Finally, as it got later and later, I told him out of frustration that he said he wanted my advice, […]
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.