Last week, I wrote about the 30 Day Trial technique for changing habits. Since I’ve written about the technique indirectly through many articles on the website, I wanted to offer a beginners guide for people starting out with the tool. This article continues where last week left off, with a few more suggestions. Tip #6 […]
The Beginner’s Guide to the 30 Day Trial
I first learned about the 30 Day Trial when I read Steve Pavlina’s short, but influential article, 30 Days to Success. The core idea of the trial was simple: focus on one change, for a month and it would become a habit. After a month, the behavior would be automatic and wouldn’t require willpower or […]
Set a Higher Baseline
For the last several months, I’ve written four articles a week for this website, plus Friday Links. That’s my baseline. Although occasionally I’ll do more, I take every step possible to ensure I don’t do less. Having this baseline means I occasionally miss the super-productive weeks where I could have written seven or eight articles. […]
The High Price of Paying Attention
I think most people are wildly overconfident in their multitasking ability. I remember reading (sorry, no link) that the brain processes over 11,000 sensory inputs every second. Out of those, only 40 reach the level of conscious thinking. Paying attention has a high price and focus, not time management or GTD, is crucial for productivity. […]
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.