I’m taking a break from my normal, opinionated rants to pose a question: should your twenties be devoted to wandering the world, living in many places, but never deeply? Or should they be spent picking a place to live and investing your time to build a home from that place? I’ll share my thoughts on […]
You’re Lazier Than You Think
Most people vastly overestimate their willpower. After four years of detailed feedback from readers on habit changes, I can come to no other conclusion. If willpower were cash, most people empty their wallets on the first day. Keeping this in mind, when I set the first 30 Day Trials for the group of students enrolled […]
Want Better Results for 2010? Commit to Fewer Things
My new motto for 2010, inspired by Cal’s similar suggestion, is to work hard, but commit to less. To be fair, it isn’t a new motto. I’ve been running with this one for the latter half of 2009, so it isn’t exactly a resolution, but an affirmation of what I’ve already been doing. However, even […]
If You Want to Be Fit, Don’t Buy New Running Shoes
If you want to get in shape, don’t buy running shoes. Instead, go out and run. There is genuine work and all the activities that feel, smell and taste like work but accomplish nothing. Worse than accomplishing nothing, these feel-good tasks reduce your motivation to do something useful. Contrary to a lot of self-help wisdom, […]
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.