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  1. How Much Can You Possibly Learn?
  2. November, 2017
  3. 5 Comments
  4. How much can the brain store? We all know how much our computers and phones can store, if only because we occasionally get the pings of messages telling us we’ve taken too many photos or downloaded too many apps or movies and something has to be deleted to store more. The brain doesn’t seem to […]
  5. READ MORE
  6. Is the Brain Like a Muscle? Lessons from Debunking a Seductive, But Incorrect, Idea
  7. October, 2017
  8. 25 Comments
  9. We often reason through analogies. When something is confusing, we can try to tie it back to something we understand better. Very often, this process it at the heart of scientific understanding. Charles Darwin formed his famous theory of evolution through natural selection by forming an analogy with artificial selection, the process of human intervention […]
  10. READ MORE
  11. Cultivating the Skill of Figuring Things Out
  12. October, 2017
  13. 4 Comments
  14. There’s a skill I’ve noticed some people possess which, for lack of a better term, I’ll call the ability to figure things out. Some people are really good at figuring things out. Give them an ambiguous problem and they’ll investigate, try things out, push through frustration and solve it. Other people are terrible at figuring […]
  15. READ MORE
  16. How Ben Franklin Learned to Write Persuasively
  17. October, 2017
  18. 13 Comments
  19. Ben Franklin was an incredible writer. In addition to his role in writing the United States Constitution, he was also a bestselling author, with his Poor Richard’s Almanac selling in the tens of thousands per year. Writing and changing minds being so important to his success in life, it’s worth asking how he managed to […]
  20. READ MORE
  21. Two Kinds of Difficulty
  22. August, 2017
  23. 2 Comments
  24. There are two reasons accomplishing something might be difficult. The first is intrinsic difficulty. Imagine you wanted to hold your breath for ten minutes straight. This is a challenging task because of the limitations of the human body. It’s exceptionally hard to do without intense training. The second is relative difficulty. Now imagine you wanted […]
  25. READ MORE
  26. How Much Do You Really Understand?
  27. June, 2017
  28. 13 Comments
  29. How do you know when you understand something? This is trickier than it seems. Explanations are recursive. recursive. Recursion is the algorithmic equivalent of Matryoshka dolls. The same process nested inside itself again and again. This may sound complicated, but we use recursive processes all the time. recursive processes all the time. Consider trying to […]
  30. READ MORE
  31. The Essential Education: If You Had Ten Years to Learn Anything, What Would You Do?
  32. June, 2017
  33. 74 Comments
  34. I can remember years ago having a discussion with someone about the purpose of college. I was arguing that university often doesn’t do a good job of preparing young people for the world of work, and my friend was arguing that I was missing the point. College isn’t about economic preparedness, but about educating people […]
  35. READ MORE
  36. Want to Learn History? Read Biographies, Not History Books
  37. April, 2017
  38. 8 Comments
  39. History is a powerful subject. Knowing the past allows you to understand the present. Understanding history overcomes the myopia of our limited lifetimes. History shows us alternative points of view and can show that our own perspectives are often parochial and arbitrary. But history is often a hard subject to learn. Few subjects have as […]
  40. READ MORE
  41. How the Brain Changes with Expertise
  42. March, 2017
  43. 9 Comments
  44. How does the brain rewire itself as you learn things? Recently, I came across some interesting research that used fMRI to visualize how the brain changes as you learn something new. The first interesting tidbit is that brain activation goes down as you learn. The better a subject got at a skill, the less of […]
  45. READ MORE
  46. How Should I Learn Cognitive Science?
  47. October, 2016
  48. 48 Comments
  49. My usual approach on this blog is to write about a strategy once I’ve already got it working. This time, I thought it would be interesting to instead focus on a current learning challenge I have, and my thinking process about resolving it. One of the big learning challenges I’m working on right now is […]
  50. READ MORE
  51. Ultralearning Matters More After Graduation
  52. April, 2016
  53. 2 Comments
  54. I think there’s a tendency to view ultralearning, the deep, intense self-education characterized by the MIT Challenge, as something mostly useful to students. Students have to do a lot of learning, so therefore, they would benefit the most from being able to do it faster or more efficiently. I actually think it’s the opposite. Ultralearning […]
  55. READ MORE
  56. What’s the Difference Between Learning an Art and a Science?
  57. April, 2016
  58. 8 Comments
  59. What’s the difference between learning physics and painting? Well, on the surface, almost everything is different. Physics uses math, painting uses brushstrokes. Physics requires abstract thinking, painting requires concrete perception. But, at a deeper level, learning painting and physics has a lot of similarities. They both involve concepts (force, composition), skills (calculus, color mixing) and […]
  60. READ MORE
  61. If You Had 15 Days to Learn Calculus, How Would You Do It?
  62. March, 2016
  63. 30 Comments
  64. If you had fifteen days to learn calculus well enough to pass a comprehensive exam, starting from scratch, how would you do it? A gut reaction might be to memorize. If you learn everything by rote, you can spit it out on the exam paper, then forget it. But this only works if your exam […]
  65. READ MORE
  66. Is Rationality Overrated? What an 18th Century Medical Mystery Can Tell Us About the Power of Blind Copying
  67. February, 2016
  68. 54 Comments
  69. By the 1730s a new type of disease was starting to pop up across Europe. Sufferers would lose their hair, develop lesions all over their body, lose their mental faculties and eventually die. The disease seemed to be linked to corn consumption. Corn was a new crop imported from the Americas only two centuries earlier. […]
  70. READ MORE
  71. At What Age is it No Longer Okay to Be Bad at Something?
  72. January, 2016
  73. 6 Comments
  74. I’m grateful for having started this blog when I was quite young. I started writing when I was 17, in early 2006. That was nearly ten years ago. I’m not grateful because it’s better being a younger writer. If anything, it’s probably harder. You don’t have the life experiences or accomplishments to draw upon. There’s […]
  75. READ MORE
  76. Should You Use Deliberate Practice… Or Just Practice?
  77. January, 2016
  78. 29 Comments
  79. There is little universal advice. A good tip for a beginner may be horrible advice for an expert. Unfortunately, when writing for a mass audience, it can be difficult to filter the preconditions for when that advice is useful, and when it might actually be a setback. Consider two people who want to be in […]
  80. READ MORE
  81. The Two Ways to Evaluate Ideas
  82. August, 2015
  83. 26 Comments
  84. I recently wrote an article where I changed my mind on speed reading. I had originally read a book on speed reading, practiced it, found it effective and logged my results. Years later, having had some personal doubts on the practice, I went back and did the research I wasn’t able to do the first […]
  85. READ MORE
  86. The Isomorphism of Ideas
  87. August, 2015
  88. 20 Comments
  89. An analogy works by realizing that two ideas, or two parts of those ideas, are the same thing. Learning about derivatives in calculus, you may get the sneaking feeling that it reminds you of an odometer and speedometer on a car. That’s not a coincidence, the speedometer actually is the (absolute) first derivative of the […]
  90. READ MORE
  91. Is There Value in Ideas You Can’t Remember?
  92. July, 2015
  93. 31 Comments
  94. When I give learning advice, as a rule, I suggest active recall. That’s the process of giving the answer to the question without looking at the solution. The best way to understand active recall is to look at more passive review strategies. Rereading notes, for example, is not active recall because you never need to […]
  95. READ MORE
  96. Are You Trying to Be Too Original? What I Learned About the Value of Imitation from China
  97. April, 2015
  98. 96 Comments
  99. One of the things that fascinates me about China is the culture of copying. When my book, Learn More, Study Less, was published in China, they wanted to use the illustrations in the book. But these were just hand-drawn by me to go in an ebook I made while in university. I’m not a professional […]
  100. READ MORE
  101. Watch us Speak all Four Languages in Three Minutes
  102. March, 2015
  103. 38 Comments
  104. As a wrap-up to our Year Without English project, Vat and I had a quick conversation in all four languages we learned during the trip (Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese and Korean). You can now watch all our videos on our YouTube channel, including all four mini-documentaries and the longer interviews we held in each language. […]
  105. READ MORE
  106. Knowing Facts Still Matters (Even in an Age of Wikipedia)
  107. December, 2014
  108. 16 Comments
  109. A popular meme is that knowing a lot of facts is unimportant for being able to think well. Albert Einstein stated this idea best when he said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Perhaps in a previous time, when instant access to answers on Google or Wikipedia wasn’t available, facts were important. But nowadays, the […]
  110. READ MORE
  111. Easily Distracted? Use Orienting Tasks While Learning.
  112. November, 2014
  113. 11 Comments
  114. I like the polar bear game. The game is simple: don’t think about polar bears. First person to do so loses. It’s mostly a gag because it’s impossible to play. Trying not to think about polar bears causes you to think about polar bears and you lose. The lesson of the polar bear game is […]
  115. READ MORE
  116. Why I’m Skeptical About SRS for Conceptual Subjects
  117. November, 2014
  118. 14 Comments
  119. Spaced repetition software, such as Anki, works by making flashcards which will pop up to test you, just at the moment it estimates you’re most likely to forget. I was initially wary of the tool, but I quickly converted when learning Chinese. If you need to memorize tons of information, there are few tools more […]
  120. READ MORE
  121. Make Plans Work on 20% Effort
  122. November, 2014
  123. 13 Comments
  124. I’m currently doing an experimental pilot course with Cal Newport about applying the ideas of deliberate practice to a career setting. To get better feedback, we limited the course to fifteen people. We also had the potential applicants jump through a number of hoops to eliminate the uncommitted. A $500 tuition fee, application form including […]
  125. READ MORE
  126. How Do You Make a Good Analogy?
  127. October, 2014
  128. 9 Comments
  129. I’ve long argued that good analogies are a key to learning well. Abstract subjects like math, science and philosophy are difficult to learn because they aren’t anchored to anything in our experience. Analogies moor these ideas adrift. But analogies are also hard to construct. They’re a creative act, so there’s no step-by-step which will produce […]
  130. READ MORE
  131. Pick Three Things. Now Do Them Well
  132. October, 2014
  133. 21 Comments
  134. Plans fail in more ways than they succeed. Complex plans fail in far more ways than simple ones. Good plans and strategies are usually simple. This is especially true when your own behavior becomes a factor in success. An exercise plan, studying strategy or business goal doesn’t just succeed or fail based on its interaction […]
  135. READ MORE
  136. Why do Engineers Think They’ll Be Good at Picking Stocks?
  137. October, 2014
  138. 24 Comments
  139. I’ve met a lot of engineers who have become fascinated with investing in the stock market. Except it’s usually not straightforward index investing (which is probably the main thing non-professionals should be investing in) but something convoluted involving a lot of math, options and stock picking. Anyone who studies finance or economics probably understands why […]
  140. READ MORE
  141. Is it Better to Review Back or Learn Ahead?
  142. October, 2014
  143. 11 Comments
  144. I have a lot of open questions about learning. One of those is whether it is better to review back or learn ahead to maintain knowledge. Reviewing back would be going through material you’ve already completed and testing yourself on it again. This is the principle through which spaced repetition systems work. I’m currently reviewing […]
  145. READ MORE
  146. Why Learn “Useless” Things?
  147. October, 2014
  148. 4 Comments
  149. Early on when Vat and I were learning Korean, he complained to me about a vocabulary list he was learning from. The list had intermediate-level words such as “technique” and “to brighten” to which Vat said, “when am I ever going to use these words?” The complaint was a fair one, we were still in […]
  150. READ MORE
  151. How to Increase Your Ability to Focus
  152. September, 2014
  153. 14 Comments
  154. This is the first day in a one-week, free, rapid-learning bootcamp. Every day, for the next seven days, I’m going to be sending a new email with a strategy you can use to learn more effectively. However, this first email is the only one I’m making publicly available on the blog. What’s more, once the […]
  155. READ MORE
  156. Korean Final Update
  157. September, 2014
  158. 18 Comments
  159. Last week, Vat and I left Korea and ended this year without English. I’ve already written an article summarizing the entire trip. I had hoped to put up the Korean final update first, but we had some delays processing the interviews (unfortunately only one is ready now, so the other will have to wait until […]
  160. READ MORE
  161. Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without English
  162. September, 2014
  163. 28 Comments
  164. A few days ago I came back to Vancouver, marking the end of this project Vat and I started over a year ago. Together we lived in Spain, Brazil, China and Korea, all while trying to speak as little English as possible. In this post, I’m going to recap the successes and stumbles of the […]
  165. READ MORE
  166. Seven Principles of Learning Better From Cognitive Science
  167. August, 2014
  168. 14 Comments
  169. I just finished one of the best books I’ve read on the science of learning. Daniel Willingham is a Harvard educated cognitive scientist who writes books and articles about how to learn and teach better. The title of his book, Why Don’t Students Like School?, is a tad unfortunate, I think, because the book isn’t […]
  170. READ MORE
  171. Korean Halfway Update
  172. July, 2014
  173. 9 Comments
  174. Vat and I have reached the halfway point here in Korea, the final leg of our language-learning project. I’ve already written so much about language learning this year, and so most of it applies to Korean as well. Therefore, I’ll just share a few of the differences we’ve noted here and save a fuller analysis […]
  175. READ MORE
  176. Why Braintraining Games are Silly
  177. April, 2014
  178. 18 Comments
  179. I occasionally get emails asking about various ways to improve cognitive performance: supplements, brain-wave audio CDs, drugs or therapies. Usually I refuse to comment on them because I don’t know the research, but I’m generally skeptical. However, there is one category of brain-enhancing products I will comment on: braintraining exercises. These are games or puzzles […]
  180. READ MORE
  181. Never Be Too Pleased With Your Past Work
  182. March, 2014
  183. 12 Comments
  184. Out of the thousand articles I’ve written, there are few that I genuinely like. Most of those I feel are mostly correct or useful, upon reflection, are still lacking in a lot of ways. Sometimes they’re too wordy, the research is too sparse or there are obvious counterarguments I ignored. I feel the same way […]
  185. READ MORE
  186. Don’t Think For Yourself
  187. January, 2014
  188. 22 Comments
  189. If you care about being correct more often, here’s a handy rule of thumb: Figure out which groups of people have spent their lives studying the issue you want an answer to. If there is a significant majority who believe conclusion X, then make conclusion X your default answer unless you have very strong evidence […]
  190. READ MORE
  191. Are Blogs Better Than Books for Mastering Complex Ideas?
  192. January, 2014
  193. 56 Comments
  194. Let’s say you want to be smart about a given topic. What’s better: read several books on the topic, or subscribe to a couple blogs and passively read the latest articles? If you had asked me this question a few years ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated: reading books will make you more well-informed. Books explore […]
  195. READ MORE
  196. Things Worth Knowing, Even Poorly
  197. December, 2013
  198. 40 Comments
  199. I recently came upon this quote by Kató Lomb: We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his […]
  200. READ MORE
  201. Chicken Hearts and Glass Explosions: A First Week in Brazil
  202. December, 2013
  203. 23 Comments
  204. Sometimes the best part of travel is when it all goes horribly wrong. Getting to Brazil was definitely an example of that. For the last three months, Vat and I had been living in Spain, not speaking English as a way to learn Spanish. I had put in about fifty hours of work in on […]
  205. READ MORE
  206. The 7 Most Common Learner Mistakes
  207. October, 2013
  208. 21 Comments
  209. I write a lot about how to learn things better. In doing so, I get a lot of emails from readers attempting to learn anything from biology to basketball. I also see a lot of common mistakes people make which make it harder to learn. In this article I wanted to share some of the […]
  210. READ MORE
  211. Watch Out for “Good” Ideas
  212. July, 2013
  213. 6 Comments
  214. Whenever I hear unanimous opinion a new idea or plan I have is “good”, I get suspicious. Until recently, however, I couldn’t articulate the cause of that suspicion. After all, if most people think an idea is good, shouldn’t that give me more confidence in it, not less? I think I’ve figured out the trigger […]
  215. READ MORE
  216. Why Your IQ Matters Less Than You Think
  217. July, 2013
  218. 33 Comments
  219. I remember the first and only time I got a D in a class. I was studying abroad in France, taking a French class to help me and the other foreign students adapt. The classes were divided into twelve levels. Level one was for extreme beginners, who had no knowledge of French. Level twelve consisted […]
  220. READ MORE
  221. How to Execute a Successful Side Project
  222. July, 2013
  223. 17 Comments
  224. I’m a big believer in the power of side projects. This blog was once a side project. Same for the business behind it. Nearly every professional milestone I’ve made was from something that happened in my spare time, and I don’t think that’s an accident. Side projects harness the unexpected. While your regular job and […]
  225. READ MORE
  226. Should You Learn Physics Like Newton? Contrasting Expert and Beginner Learning Strategies
  227. June, 2013
  228. 21 Comments
  229. After completing the MIT Challenge I got an unusual critique. The complaint was that I shouldn’t have looked at solutions after working through problems. Great thinkers like Newton or Euler, this critic’s reasoning goes, didn’t have access to solutions and they understood the ideas better than anyone. The best process to learn something, he argued, […]
  230. READ MORE
  231. How to Use Feedback
  232. June, 2013
  233. 12 Comments
  234. 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 […]
  235. READ MORE
  236. What’s Your Growth Ratio?
  237. June, 2013
  238. 8 Comments
  239. 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 […]
  240. READ MORE
  241. How Much Specialization?
  242. May, 2013
  243. 20 Comments
  244. 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 […]
  245. READ MORE
  246. A Step-by-Step Process to Teach Yourself Anything (in a Fraction of the Time)
  247. May, 2013
  248. 30 Comments
  249. Have you ever wanted to learn something, but weren’t sure where to start? Maybe you want to learn a language, programming or business. Maybe you want the confidence to tackle supposedly “hard” subjects like math, finance or physics. Today I’m going to show you how. I’m going to describe the process I’ve used to condense […]
  250. READ MORE
  251. Blank Slate Moments
  252. April, 2013
  253. 9 Comments
  254. Science prides itself on being able to validate hypothesis with controlled experiments. Take two subjects, vary only a single variable between them, whatever difference you generate must owe to that distinction. If only life were that easy. Instead, life is full of confounding variables. We build theories for our lives the best way we can, […]
  255. READ MORE
  256. The Paradox of Growth: Do Habits Hurt or Help You Learn?
  257. April, 2013
  258. 11 Comments
  259. I’ve written before about the importance of habits. By setting up consistent rituals of action, behavior becomes automatic. Automatic behavior means you don’t need nearly the same amount of self-discipline to finish projects as someone who works on them in a haphazard way. Habits are built on sameness. By making your triggers, schedule and internal […]
  260. READ MORE
  261. How to Focus
  262. April, 2013
  263. 39 Comments
  264. I spoke at an event recently about learning and my MIT Challenge. The talk was about which memory and insight-building methods I found useful during my experiment. After the talk, one of the audience members came and asked me whether I felt the success of the project was mostly due to efficient learning methods or […]
  265. READ MORE
  266. Which Learning Methods Actually Work?
  267. March, 2013
  268. 38 Comments
  269. Here’s an interesting article on the effectiveness of various study techniques—and in particular—which ones have evidence supporting them. Some of my thoughts on the key findings: Self-Explanation and Reading Elaborative learning and self-explanation were found to be moderately effective. This is similar to the Feynman technique, but I’d argue the use of the method was […]
  270. READ MORE
  271. Catch-22s and Bootstrapping Your Life
  272. March, 2013
  273. 22 Comments
  274. Catch-22s are problems which have circular or paradoxical solutions. Named after Joseph Heller’s famous book by the same name, about a soldier who can avoid dangerous combat if he is insane (but applying for the provision is proof of sanity). Many situations in life are close to Catch-22s, problems by which the method of solution […]
  275. READ MORE
  276. What Matters More: Your Network or Skills?
  277. March, 2013
  278. 23 Comments
  279. I love questions like this one because they’re the kind people get upset about for no reason. When you try to say that your network of professional friends is important to your career, you get tons of angry socially maladroit engineer-types ranting about it. Technical competence, and points on an IQ test are what matters […]
  280. READ MORE
  281. Self-Discipline Comes First
  282. February, 2013
  283. 29 Comments
  284. The most important skill is execution. Having great ideas, wise decisions or clever strategies comes second. The ability to get things done is paramount. This why I sigh when I hear people complaining about being unable to stay motivated on a project because they aren’t sure whether it’s the right one. These people have it […]
  285. READ MORE
  286. WordSmith – Building a Program that Plays Scrabble
  287. February, 2013
  288. 19 Comments
  289. Last fall, I finished the MIT Challenge. While the challenge was exciting and educational, the tight deadline didn’t give me any time for extracurricular projects. When I finished, I wanted to work on a small and fun project that would test some of the things I learned. The result was WordSmith, a program that lets […]
  290. READ MORE
  291. “It’s Who You Know”
  292. February, 2013
  293. 30 Comments
  294. I’ve often heard the titular expression in conversations about professional success. Uttered with a sneer, it seems to point at the unfairness of life and the hopelessness of the masses of people without good connections. It’s also an expression that is mostly true. Talent and effort matter, of course, but the gears of the machine […]
  295. READ MORE
  296. Two Types of Growth
  297. February, 2013
  298. 44 Comments
  299. Anything you try to improve will have a growth curve. Imagine you ran everyday and you tracked your speed to finish a 5-mile course. Smoothing out the noise, over enough time you’d probably get a graph like this: Here, improvement works on a logarithmic scale. As you get better, it gets harder and harder to […]
  300. READ MORE
  301. Flow Doesn’t Maximize Improvement
  302. January, 2013
  303. 20 Comments
  304. Flow is the mental state of complete engagement. It happens when you are fully immersed in an activity that is neither too difficult to be frustrating, but not so easy as to be boring. First described by Dr. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the concept became popular because it was seen as a key to both performance and […]
  305. READ MORE
  306. Could Obsessive Research Be the Cure for Procrastination?
  307. January, 2013
  308. 17 Comments
  309. There’s a lot of ways to procrastinate. Extra pushes of the snooze button, the final cram session before an exam, waiting until midlife to pick a career. Maybe you’re procrastinating right now. I used to believe most of this was just inertia. With a push, you could start rolling and finish the work with less […]
  310. READ MORE
  311. What are the Intellectual Ideas Everybody Should Know?
  312. January, 2013
  313. 81 Comments
  314. Most academic concepts have fairly narrow usage. You can draw analogies between fields, but these connections usually rest on you understanding both sides of the metaphor sufficiently well. Consider the Fresnel equation in physics. With some effort you might be able to draw an analogy between this equation and another domain. But I’d doubt you […]
  315. READ MORE
  316. Is Getting Rich Worth It?
  317. December, 2012
  318. 64 Comments
  319. The titular question was posed on Quora, and one rich person, who claims to have made $15M after selling a tech startup offers a surprisingly nuanced and insightful answer: “Being rich is better than not being rich, but it’s not nearly as good as you imagine it is.” Other rich responders were less enthusiastic. Another […]
  320. READ MORE
  321. What I Would Change About the MIT Challenge
  322. December, 2012
  323. 23 Comments
  324. After a year spent learning MIT’s computer science program independently, I’ve gotten a number of emails from people who want to do the same thing. People who want a computer science education but don’t want to wait four years and pay thousands of dollars to get it. I’m very happy with how I conducted the […]
  325. READ MORE
  326. The Interview Method: Why Our Assumptions About Success Are Often Wrong
  327. December, 2012
  328. 15 Comments
  329. I love people who say they “know” what they need to do, they just don’t do it. These are the same people who claim that without credentials, connections or whatever they happen to lack, success is impossible. The truth is, most people put almost zero effort into figuring out how success actually works in their […]
  330. READ MORE
  331. Why the Risky Options Can Sometimes Be the Safest
  332. November, 2012
  333. 26 Comments
  334. Last week I shared some of my concerns with what I called high-variance professions. A high-variance profession is one where a lot of people fail and a few succeed. Think actors, entrepreneurs, musicians and athletes. I explained why high-variance is generally a bad thing, in terms of life outcomes, although it’s certainly not an open-and-shut […]
  335. READ MORE
  336. Should You Pursue Your Dream, Even if You’ll Probably Fail?
  337. November, 2012
  338. 15 Comments
  339. I like to think of myself as a rational person. Yes, I have emotions that muddle my choices, and I make mistakes on logic problems just like anyone else. But when I have big decisions to make in my life, I’d like to believe that I go with the facts. Which is why the titular […]
  340. READ MORE
  341. Why the Fuss Over Lectures?
  342. November, 2012
  343. 25 Comments
  344. The last few years have seen a burst of new educational platforms. Khan Academy, Coursera and edX, were just a few. At the core of all of these platforms is the same thing: video lectures. This doesn’t surprise me. When I listed the courses I followed during my experiment to learn MIT’s computer science program […]
  345. READ MORE
  346. Double your output (while working fewer hours)
  347. October, 2012
  348. 26 Comments
  349. In this post I’m going to share a trick I’ve used to double the work I’ve managed to get done, while working fewer hours. Without it, I’m certain I couldn’t have finished the MIT Challenge. Before I share the method, however, I’m going to tell you why it works. First, I want you to ask […]
  350. READ MORE
  351. Why Focus (not Effort) is the Key to Getting Stuff Done
  352. October, 2012
  353. 40 Comments
  354. Around the time I started this blog, I was obsessed with habits. The psychology is fascinating and the idea that you could reprogram your behavior was compelling. After all, how much could you accomplish if you never failed to act on what you planned? The science of behavior change makes it exciting too: operant and […]
  355. READ MORE
  356. Why You’re Lazy (and How to Fix It)
  357. October, 2012
  358. 26 Comments
  359. After spending a year working through MIT’s computer science curriculum independently, I’ve gotten quite a few comments from people claiming I must have extraordinary self-discipline. I let that vanity sink in a bit, but then remember I procrastinated for a week to pack for my last trip, ending up doing it all last minute. The […]
  360. READ MORE
  361. One Week Left in the MIT Challenge
  362. September, 2012
  363. 10 Comments
  364. It’s the final week of the MIT Challenge. As of right now I have one more exam to write (I’ve already finished the preparation) and one more programming project, the last of six for computer graphics. Practically, I feel the knowledge I’ve gained will serve me well as an entrepreneur. While programming knowledge certainly isn’t […]
  365. READ MORE
  366. Don’t Follow Your Passion
  367. September, 2012
  368. 10 Comments
  369. I recently read an advance copy of Cal Newport’s fascinating (and controversial) new book: So Good They Can’t Ignore You. The main argument being that following your passion is bad career advice. The first problem is that, for the most part, preexisting passions don’t exist. Cal cites a study which interviewed 500+ university students to […]
  370. READ MORE
  371. The Beginner’s Guide to Learning to Program
  372. September, 2012
  373. 19 Comments
  374. One of the most frequent questions I get asked in emails is what’s the best way to learn how to program. In the past I’ve shied away from this question, since the internet is populated by much better programmers than myself. However, while there are many guides to learning a specific programming languages or tool, […]
  375. READ MORE
  376. Work Less to Get More Done
  377. August, 2012
  378. 27 Comments
  379. For several years now I’ve used a productivity trick called weekly/daily goals. I’ve written about it many times before, but the gist is simple: You keep two to-do lists, one for the day and one for the week. As the week goes by, move items from your weekly to daily list. When working, only focus […]
  380. READ MORE
  381. Fake Wisdom
  382. August, 2012
  383. 14 Comments
  384. When I first started writing, I used to get “false agreement”. This is when a comment claims to agree with everything you’re saying, but reveals that they actually believe the opposite in the substance of their message. I used to blame this on reader illiteracy, but it was likely my failing as a writer. But […]
  385. READ MORE
  386. Why Forgetting Can Be Good
  387. August, 2012
  388. 28 Comments
  389. People often ask me how they can guarantee they won’t forget anything they’ve learned. But I think forgetting isn’t such a bad thing and that trying to avoid it completely is a loser’s strategy. Trying for a perfect memory is a defensive strategy, it’s protecting the stockpile of knowledge you possess against atrophy. In theory […]
  390. READ MORE
  391. How to Lead an Interesting Life and Still Get Stuff Done
  392. July, 2012
  393. 18 Comments
  394. Is it possible to spend your life having adventures, but still make meaningful accomplishments? The answer to this question matters to me because, like many of you, I’d like to have both. The challenge is that most advice-givers put the two in either-or categories. Being good requires focus, perhaps decades of it. The world tends […]
  395. READ MORE
  396. How to Learn Really Hard Courses
  397. July, 2012
  398. 9 Comments
  399. Some of the newer readers might not be aware that I’ve been keeping a semi-weekly video blog for the MIT Challenge. Along with providing more detailed updates of my progress, I also try to share the methods I’m using to learn faster, not procrastinate and stay motivated. Here are just a few of the recent […]
  400. READ MORE
  401. Should You Learn New Skills or Master Old Ones?
  402. July, 2012
  403. 31 Comments
  404. A recent meme in the life-advice world is that anyone can make themselves an expert. Malcolm Gladwell suggested that 10,000 hours of practice were the key to becoming world class. Anders Ericsson’s research backs this up—if you want to be good, deliberate practice is key. A bigger question is, what’s the best way to spend […]
  405. READ MORE
  406. The DIY Degree: Using Self-Education to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in 1 Year
  407. July, 2012
  408. 80 Comments
  409. “What’s the point of learning, if you don’t get a degree after?” This has been the biggest criticism of my MIT Challenge, and honestly, it’s not an easy one to avoid. Even if weirdos like me are willing to learn a degree outside of school, the truth is the world still values that piece of […]
  410. READ MORE
  411. TEDx – Can You Get an MIT Education for Less than $2000?
  412. June, 2012
  413. 42 Comments
  414. Last month I spoke at TEDxEastsidePrep about the MIT Challenge. Some highlights from the talk: The technique I’ve used to watch a semester of classes in 2 days How you can learn faster without going to school The tool you can use to figure out where your time is going I did the talk just […]
  415. READ MORE
  416. Why Should Life Be Simple?
  417. May, 2012
  418. 29 Comments
  419. Readers have often pointed out to me that my site has no consistent message. When you read other blogs, their philosophies are sharpened down to a point: simplicity, live consciously or nonconformity. In comparison, mine seems rather haphazard. Part of this is focus—writers have opinions about many subjects, but they are only interesting when writing […]
  420. READ MORE
  421. The Strangeness of Everyday Things
  422. May, 2012
  423. 14 Comments
  424. Have you ever repeated a word to yourself so many times that you begin to notice the strangeness of the sound it makes? The repetition begins to conceal the meaning of the word, so you notice what it actually sounds like. I’ve found the same thing happens the more you learn about a subject. As […]
  425. READ MORE
  426. Learning to Doubt
  427. April, 2012
  428. 22 Comments
  429. Human nature is to reason in certainties. It takes training to rid yourself of that handicap. Nobel-laureate, Richard Feynman, said it best: “I can live with doubt and uncertainty. I think it’s much more interesting than live with answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and different degrees of certainty about various things, […]
  430. READ MORE
  431. Healthy Delusions?
  432. April, 2012
  433. 22 Comments
  434. Is some amount of self-delusion a good thing? I used to believe seeing the world more accurately was always a good thing. After all, even positive delusions must at some point brush against the rough surface of reality. Now I’m not so sure. Depressive realism is a phenomenon where, in some cases, depressed patients can […]
  435. READ MORE
  436. A La Carte Education
  437. April, 2012
  438. 23 Comments
  439. Whenever I bring up the possibility of getting an education without going to school, I quickly get objections: “Without credentials at the end, a university education is meaningless.” “You can’t learn without guidance from instructors.” “College is mostly about forming a network, not passing exams.” “Self-education only works if you’re exceptionally bright or dedicated. Most […]
  440. READ MORE
  441. Are Habits the Enemy of Mastery?
  442. March, 2012
  443. 17 Comments
  444. In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell helped popularize the notion of 10,000 hours of practice. The idea being that it takes around a decade of consistent practice to become world-class at anything. The idea of 10,000 hours evokes the sense that mastery is mostly a process of endlessly slogging away at a craft. What’s interesting […]
  445. READ MORE
  446. Why Does Most Career Advice Suck?
  447. March, 2012
  448. 7 Comments
  449. My good friend and roommate just started the challenging career path of becoming a successful architect. As we spoke about the difficulties of making a name for yourself in an established industry, I realized I was unequipped to offer advice. It had been almost five years since I had a real job. Instead, I asked […]
  450. READ MORE
  451. Can You Learn Faster Without School?
  452. March, 2012
  453. 38 Comments
  454. I’m nearly at the halfway point of my challenge to learn MIT’s computer science curriculum in 12 months. I decided to put together a short video explaining what my daily routine looks like, and also share some of the tactics I’ve been using to learn at a faster pace. Learning MIT at 4x the Pace […]
  455. READ MORE
  456. Just Finish It
  457. February, 2012
  458. 16 Comments
  459. A common staple of self-help wisdom is the advice to take action, immediately. You miss all the shots you don’t take, do it now and Nike’s famous slogan are just a few hints of this overwhelming suggestion to get started right away. There’s nothing wrong with this advice. Plenty of people waste years hesitating on […]
  460. READ MORE
  461. What Matters More, Marketing or Mastery?
  462. February, 2012
  463. 25 Comments
  464. Last week’s guest article on hacking the system generated a frenzy of discussion. One reader commented that this was the best guest post he had ever read. Another said it was terrible and that it detracted from the entire work of this website. I normally leave follow-up to the comments section, but this ideological rift […]
  465. READ MORE
  466. The Sex Scandal Technique: How to Achieve Any Goal, Instantly (and Party with Tim Ferriss)
  467. February, 2012
  468. 49 Comments
  469. It’s no secret I almost never do guest posts. But when my friend, Maneesh Sethi offered to write one, I didn’t hesitate to make an exception. Maneesh is a 24-year old with a resume that most people won’t accomplish in their entire lives. He was an international best-selling author still in his sophomore year of […]
  470. READ MORE
  471. Do Hard Things
  472. January, 2012
  473. 30 Comments
  474. I have a rather uncommon mantra for my life: Do the hardest thing you can. Uncommon, because I’ve met exceedingly few people who agree with it. In fact, almost everyone suggests the opposite. When I started my MIT Challenge, one of the most common warnings was, “don’t burn yourself out.” Yet, despite taking on bigger […]
  475. READ MORE
  476. Does Enjoyment Trump Efficiency?
  477. November, 2011
  478. 13 Comments
  479. I had a conversation with a friend once who complained about his lack of success with women. Yet this same person rarely did anything social, preferring to do solo activities or hang out with the same group of friends. It may seem crazy that someone can want to change an element of their life badly, […]
  480. READ MORE
  481. Why Learn Math?
  482. November, 2011
  483. 21 Comments
  484. Math gets a bad reputation. It’s hard, abstract and, especially the way most professors teach it, feels completely detached from the real world. Since my MIT Challenge involves doing a lot of math (far more than programming) I thought I’d try to explain why I feel math does matter. How Useful is Calculus in the […]
  485. READ MORE
  486. First Lessons in Trying to Finish 4 Years of MIT in 12 Months
  487. November, 2011
  488. 24 Comments
  489. It’s been exactly one month since I started working on my goal to learn MIT’s computer science program at 4x the pace, without taking classes. In that time, I’ve written the final exams for 4 of the 33 classes I’ll need to take over the next year. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about […]
  490. READ MORE
  491. How Much Do Genes Matter?
  492. October, 2011
  493. 13 Comments
  494. A reader emailed me after I wrote about learning calculus in five days: “I question that you’re just a person of average intelligence who knows how to learn faster. I can’t imagine ever finishing an MIT class in 5 days.” My response to him was that, of course, I was probably smarter than average. If […]
  495. READ MORE
  496. Learning MIT Calculus in 5 Days
  497. October, 2011
  498. 89 Comments
  499. To access the course for free, click here. Last week marked week one of my MIT Challenge, to learn their 4-year computer science curriculum in 12 months, without taking classes. As you can watch in the video above, this week was calculus. I started the class on Monday and wrote the exam on Friday afternoon. […]
  500. READ MORE
  501. Learning 4 Years of MIT in 12 Months
  502. September, 2011
  503. 51 Comments
  504. Starting October 1st, I’m embarking on a new challenge. Watch the video above or read below to find out more (if you’re reading this twice, don’t worry, I accidentally posted it before the video was finished) The MIT Challenge — 4 Years of Learning in 12 Months Over the next 12 months, I’m going to […]
  505. READ MORE
  506. Living Closer to Reality
  507. September, 2011
  508. 12 Comments
  509. A friend told me a story about two philosophers arguing about the nature of reality. The first believed reality was objective. The second countered that it was subjective, “You can’t prove to me that this wall exists.” The first replied, “Well if it doesn’t exist, then walk through it.” The problem with the subjective philosopher […]
  510. READ MORE
  511. Learn Faster with the Feynman Technique
  512. September, 2011
  513. 30 Comments
  514. Once or twice a year, I open my most popular program, Learning on Steroids. It’s an interactive course that teaches how to learn faster and get more done. I’m going to be reopening the program again on September 7th. Instead of pitching you on why you should join, I thought it would be more fun […]
  515. READ MORE
  516. Developing an Appetite for Hard Ideas
  517. August, 2011
  518. 25 Comments
  519. 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? […]
  520. READ MORE
  521. Completing an MIT Physics Class in 4.5 Days?
  522. August, 2011
  523. 49 Comments
  524. 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 […]
  525. READ MORE
  526. Why It’s Hard Not to Be a Hypocrite
  527. June, 2011
  528. 16 Comments
  529. I recently came upon this quote from the social-news aggregator reddit: “What I’ve seen is that in the museums and in the textbooks, whenever they claim to show the evolutionary differences from one species to another, it relies on illustrations and drawings… not any material evidence.” – Wendy Wright The comments mock the obvious hypocrisy […]
  530. READ MORE
  531. Seven Unconventional Ideas for Getting the Most Out of College
  532. May, 2011
  533. 5 Comments
  534. Yesterday I got my grades for my final classes. It makes me think about my time in university, and how lucky I’ve been to have had a great experience. During the last few years, I’ve been able to: Study abroad, in the south of France for 11 months. Compete internationally in academic competitions. Volunteer, helping […]
  535. READ MORE
  536. When Will the Web Transform Education?
  537. March, 2011
  538. 25 Comments
  539. Why haven’t we seen the internet transform education yet? Music, movies, publishing, software and basically every industry reliant on information is being turned upside down. Having collections of tens of thousands of songs isn’t uncommon now. Being able to watch any movie ever made is easy and getting news minutes within it happening is almost […]
  540. READ MORE
  541. A Brief Guide to Learning Faster (and Better)
  542. January, 2011
  543. 50 Comments
  544. Note: This is a long article (4000+ words), I suggest bookmarking it for later if you don’t have time to read it all right now. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to learn faster. The biggest reason I do this is because it’s important. With so much knowledge out there, the answers […]
  545. READ MORE
  546. Should Future Entrepreneurs Go to College?
  547. September, 2010
  548. 32 Comments
  549. If you plan on running your own business empire, should you bother going to school? I reject the common idea that school is a waste of time for potential entrepreneurs. There are good reasons why many entrepreneurs would benefit from education, and the choice depends on your situation. Common Wisdom: School is a Waste of […]
  550. READ MORE
  551. Is it Possible to Ace University Exams Without Studying?
  552. September, 2010
  553. 13 Comments
  554. Asking that question was how it all got started. Nearly four years ago I wrote an article about how I was able to do just that—get A’s on exams without studying. I know it’s possible, not just because I’ve done it a number of times, but because after writing the article I heard from numerous […]
  555. READ MORE
  556. Society’s Attention Deficit – Praise for Deep Thinking in the Era of Shallowness
  557. June, 2010
  558. 19 Comments
  559. Could the internet be making us stupider? Cal Newport suggests it might. He shares recent research that shows electronic multitasking results in poorer performance on cognitive tasks. No surprise there: being on Facebook or Twitter won’t help you concentrate. The interesting finding however, was that chronic multitaskers perform significantly worse on tasks even when they […]
  560. READ MORE
  561. Mental Aikido: The Necessity of Unhappiness in the Ideal Life
  562. May, 2010
  563. 24 Comments
  564. I believe happiness is important, and all else being equal, the happy life is better than the unhappy one. But this doesn’t mean I believe the ideal life is free from unhappy moments. I have plenty of unhappy moments, and I think that’s okay, perhaps even necessary, to live well. Some Unhappiness is a Necessary […]
  565. READ MORE
  566. 9 Tactics for Rapid Learning (That Most People Have Never Heard Of)
  567. December, 2009
  568. 52 Comments
  569. Whenever the subject of why some people learn faster comes up, I get a whole host of common answers: Some people are just naturally smart. (Often implying you can’t improve) Everyone is “smart” in their own way. (Nonsense, research indicates different “intelligences” often correlate) IQ is all in the genes. (Except IQ changes with age […]
  570. READ MORE
  571. The Joy of Cooking Meals From Scratch
  572. November, 2009
  573. 12 Comments
  574. I’m definitely not a chef. In fact, only six months ago, I would probably have been the last person to write an article like this. I prided myself on my ability to warm canned food. Pasta or the occasional stir-fry were the peak of my cooking ability. Yet, in the last few months, I’ve made […]
  575. READ MORE
  576. Don’t Work 9-5
  577. October, 2009
  578. 6 Comments
  579. Below is a brief excerpt of one chapter from Think Outside the Cubicle, my guide for how to get more work done, when working at home. The Invention of the 8-Hour Workday Humans didn’t evolve to work 9-5. Human beings evolved as hunter gatherers, which aside from starvation, inter-tribe wars and occasionally being eaten by […]
  580. READ MORE
  581. 15 Things I Wish I Knew
  582. September, 2009
  583. 31 Comments
  584. The great thing about writing articles is that I get to pick the topic. I try to only pick topics that I either have some familiarity with, have done research on or have at least spent a lot of time thinking about. The problem with writing articles is that people assume I know everything. The […]
  585. READ MORE
  586. How to Draw (and Other Life Lessons)
  587. July, 2009
  588. 5 Comments
  589. “I can’t draw, I’m not an artist.” I’ve heard this many times. Some people must think that being able to draw faces or pictures is something you’re born with. It’s not. It’s just a skill, like any other, that people have worked to become good at. I just spent an afternoon doing illustrations for my […]
  590. READ MORE
  591. How to Meet Interesting People
  592. July, 2009
  593. 11 Comments
  594. It’s important to meet like-minded people, who share your goals and can support you towards them. But what if everyone you know is, well… boring? A reader recently commented that most of the people he knows are boring. He found it difficult to connect when so many people lack ambitions, a passion for life or […]
  595. READ MORE
  596. Aggressive Learning
  597. April, 2009
  598. 10 Comments
  599. If you want to succeed, pick an easy target. If you want to improve, pick an impossibly hard target. Success in a goal and improvement are often opposite paths, so if you aren’t clear on which you’re trying to pursue, you may end up failing at both. I have a habit for getting in over […]
  600. READ MORE
  601. $10,000 Ideas
  602. January, 2009
  603. 4 Comments
  604. The value of books isn’t the paper it’s the ideas inside. Following this logic, if the ideas you get from a book can help you earn $20,000, then even a steep $10,000 price tag should seem cheap. Ramit Sethi expresses a similar sentiment in his article, “Stop being a loser and pay money to save […]
  605. READ MORE
  606. The Purpose of This Website is to Lose Its Readers
  607. October, 2008
  608. 20 Comments
  609. I might be committing blogging suicide by saying this, but I feel the purpose of this blog is to eventually lose all its readers. I fully expect that, at some point, every person who subscribed to read my thoughts will eventually unsubscribe. I’m completely fine with that. The point of any source of information, whether […]
  610. READ MORE
  611. How to Figure Out What People Want
  612. October, 2008
  613. 12 Comments
  614. The thinking process of most innovators is something like this: Get an idea for what you want to make. Create it. Find someone who wants it. I think any entrepreneur will immediately recognize this is a horrible strategy for starting a business (or making any decision). By making something before you see any opportunity, you […]
  615. READ MORE
  616. Read More Than You Need to Know
  617. September, 2008
  618. 8 Comments
  619. Gathering ideas is cheap, implementing ideas is expensive. Reading a business book takes several hours over the course of a week. Starting a business takes thousands of hours over the course of years. Making ideas a reality is orders of magnitude more difficult than gathering creative ideas. This simple fact is the reason I’m a […]
  620. READ MORE
  621. How to Become a Holistic Learner
  622. August, 2008
  623. 28 Comments
  624. Over a year ago, I wrote an article about how I have managed to ace high-school and university exams with very little studying. The article became one of the most popular articles on the website, and I’ve since written two e-books continuing the core idea: holistic learning. Since writing the initial article, and the two […]
  625. READ MORE
  626. How to Think For Yourself
  627. August, 2008
  628. 10 Comments
  629. Don’t be a buffalo. When buffalo were still common in North America, Native American hunters learned a trick to hunt the herd animals. Buffalo don’t look up when moving as a group. In fact, if a few buffalo in a herd were startled into running, the entire herd would charge, even if most of the […]
  630. READ MORE
  631. The Goal of Learning Everything
  632. June, 2008
  633. 63 Comments
  634. Recently, I wrote about my goal of learning everything. This is more than a tad ambitious, and probably impossible. Even learning a small fraction of everything can have huge benefits that ripple outwards towards every other area of life. Unfortunately, most people fall into a group I’ll call “functional” learners, and severely cut off their […]
  635. READ MORE
  636. Learn More, Study Less: Zen Habits Special Offer
  637. June, 2008
  638. 8 Comments
  639. I’ve just started a special deal with Zen Habits and Learn More, Study Less. For the next month, if you get a copy of the book through Zen Habits, you can buy it for $19.95. This means access to the full book, all six bonus printouts and free updates for any future editions or additions […]
  640. READ MORE
  641. Selfish Volunteering
  642. May, 2008
  643. 5 Comments
  644. I’m a selfish guy. I consider my time and energy important, so I don’t waste it on activities that aren’t important to me. Considering I lean towards self-absorption, it may seem odd that I’m a huge supporter of volunteering. The truth is, volunteerism has many selfish benefits if you can see past the stigma of […]
  645. READ MORE
  646. Why Superman is a Bad Role Model
  647. May, 2008
  648. 13 Comments
  649. Superman can fly, see through buildings and listen from large distances. He can run quickly and lift large weights. More importantly he is virtuous and his alter-ego is modest about his abilities. With so many excellent qualities, why wouldn’t Superman be a good role model? The problem with Superman, as it is with every role […]
  650. READ MORE
  651. Use Projects to Educate Yourself for Free
  652. May, 2008
  653. 8 Comments
  654. Last week I wrote about how working on projects is a great way to keep yourself motivated. The idea is that if you focus on results, it’s easy to get frustrated when you hit a patch of bad luck. If your emphasis is on completing projects, any feedback you get will come directly from your […]
  655. READ MORE
  656. How to Avoid Making Stupid Mistakes
  657. May, 2008
  658. 2 Comments
  659. I think most people like to see themselves as being unique. From early childhood most kids are taught that they are special and original. Western culture celebrates independence, so starting as toddlers, children are taught to think and act as being in a slightly different class than everyone else. While there are some benefits to […]
  660. READ MORE
  661. Don’t Analyze The Anecdotes When You Need Data
  662. April, 2008
  663. 2 Comments
  664. In statistics, one of the first things you learn is the importance of n. The variable n, represents the size of the sample you’re studying. And the size of n has a huge impact on whether your results are significant or just a fluke. Unfortunately it’s easy to forget this lesson outside the classroom and […]
  665. READ MORE
  666. How to Setup a Killer Pre-Exam Warm Up Ritual
  667. March, 2008
  668. 5 Comments
  669. In my recent book, Learn More, Study Less, I make the claim that you can learn better with less studying by learning holistically. Holistic learning, for those who haven’t read my introduction to the topic, is about linking ideas together instead of relying on rote memorization. The assumption with holistic learning has been that you […]
  670. READ MORE
  671. Arete: The Meaning of Life
  672. March, 2008
  673. 20 Comments
  674. I’ll admit that this is an ambitious post title. Thinkers have struggled against this question for thousands of years. One of the interesting things about this question is that the answers don’t converge on a single point. Instead there are many different methods to answer what might be the most important human question. I’m certainly […]
  675. READ MORE
  676. Post Number 500
  677. March, 2008
  678. 17 Comments
  679. This is the 500th post on ScottHYoung.com. Although some of the posts are news-related, if you include the 100-200 articles I’ve written off the website, 3 e-books and an interactive program, I’d guess I’ve written more than 500 articles worth of content. I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a little about how the […]
  680. READ MORE
  681. Friday Links 08-03-05
  682. March, 2008
  683. No comments
  684. From the Web I’ve stockpiled two weeks worth of links for today. Last week was the release of Learn More, Study Less, which replaced the normal edition of Friday Links. The Art of Pseudo-Skimming – Cal writes about how to pseudo-skim. The idea is similar to my interpretation of speed reading–that you need to control […]
  685. READ MORE
  686. Learn More, Study Less – Flow-Based Notetaking
  687. March, 2008
  688. 24 Comments
  689. This is a free chapter from my new e-book, Learn More, Study Less. You can download a free preview of the e-book, or buy your copy. This chapter is on Flow-Based Notetaking, and is also available in the .pdf preview version. This is one of eleven chapters from Part II of the book, which focuses […]
  690. READ MORE
  691. Learn More, Study Less – Diagraming
  692. March, 2008
  693. 5 Comments
  694. This is a free chapter from my new e-book, Learn More, Study Less. You can download a free preview of the e-book, or buy your copy. This chapter is on Diagraming, one of the three core holistic learning methods. This is one of eleven chapters from Part II of the book, which focuses on techniques […]
  695. READ MORE
  696. Learn More, Study Less Released
  697. February, 2008
  698. 19 Comments
  699. I’ve just finished my newest book on holistic learning, Learn More, Study Less. With over 200 full-color pages, six bonus documents and over a month spent on individualized experimenting, the program is finally ready. You can get your copy today for 39.95. Learn More… Download a Free Preview Buy Your Copy I introduced holistic learning […]
  700. READ MORE
  701. Stop Checking Your Web Stats Every Day!
  702. February, 2008
  703. 9 Comments
  704. How often do you check your e-mail, Facebook or web stats? Whether you’re a blogger or just discovering the internet, the answer is: probably too much. Information addiction is a disease in the blogging community, and unfortunately I know a lot of good people who are users. I can imagine the mental rationale goes a […]
  705. READ MORE
  706. Friday Links 08-02-22
  707. February, 2008
  708. 5 Comments
  709. From the Web Zen Habits Handbook for Life – Leo just released an e-book compiling the best posts from his archive. When you get an archive as large as Leo’s, it can be hard to find the best. With an archive of over 400 posts here and around 100 off this website, I’ve been considering […]
  710. READ MORE
  711. 7 Tips to Live a More Spontaneous Life
  712. February, 2008
  713. 14 Comments
  714. A few months ago I got a chance to try improv comedy. I had invited a group to our Toastmasters club that specialized in comedy, so for one meeting, the public speaking was replaced with improv. For those of you who are unfamiliar, improv comedy is a form of theater where several actors try to […]
  715. READ MORE
  716. 9 Tips to Clean Your Mental Palette
  717. February, 2008
  718. 9 Comments
  719. Here’s a fun game you can play with a friend: it’s called, “Don’t Think About Polar Bears.” The first person to think about a polar bear loses. Generally, the game doesn’t last more than a few seconds. Trying to not think about polar bears, causes you to think about polar bears. Actually the game isn’t […]
  720. READ MORE
  721. Are There Prerequisite Courses for Living?
  722. February, 2008
  723. 12 Comments
  724. Prerequisite courses are the subjects you need to learn before you can learn more advanced topics. Before you learn calculus, you need to understand algebra. Before you can learn algebra you must have been taught arithmetic. Are there prerequisite courses for living on this planet? Are there any subjects that are so fundamental to understanding […]
  725. READ MORE
  726. Upgrade Your Entertainment
  727. February, 2008
  728. 2 Comments
  729. I take my entertainment time very seriously. Life is too short for reruns. Maximizing entertainment time might at first seem like a no-brainer. It can’t be that hard to do something you enjoy, is it? Unfortunately, the evidence seems to show that leisure time is usually wasted. In his book Flow, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi got people […]
  730. READ MORE
  731. Riding the Tipping Point: 6 Tips for Using Exponential Growth
  732. January, 2008
  733. 3 Comments
  734. If nobody can work 100 times harder than you, then how can some people earn 100, 1 000 or even a 1 000 000 times the results? The answer is that most problems don’t work on a straight line, giving the same amount of results for each hour you invest. The Stonecutter’s Dilemma is a […]
  735. READ MORE
  736. Quotes From Atlas Shrugged
  737. January, 2008
  738. 25 Comments
  739. Over the last two weeks I’ve been churning through Ayn Rand’s epic novel, Atlas Shrugged. The book is close to 1200 pages long and covers Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. The story follows a man who said he would, “stop the motor of the world,” and did. Rand’s philosophy centers around the idea that it is […]
  740. READ MORE
  741. Is School Wasting Your Money?
  742. January, 2008
  743. 8 Comments
  744. Which is better: self-education or going to school? Are self-educators deluding themselves, believing they can teach themselves better than professors who have studied in their field for years? Are people who go to school just wasting their money on subjects that could be learned faster and more efficiently from a trip to the library? In […]
  745. READ MORE
  746. 9 Ideas to Overcome Discouragement
  747. December, 2007
  748. 6 Comments
  749. If you have a goal, then you’ll probably face a lot of discouragement. Rejection, criticism, frustration, obstacles and failure are all part of the package. Although a few people might be immune to discouragement, I know I’m certainly not. I suspect you probably aren’t either. For myself, I’ve found that trying to resist negative experiences […]
  750. READ MORE
  751. The Virtue of Failing Fast
  752. December, 2007
  753. 4 Comments
  754. Basically any form of improvement is based on learning. Running a business, graduating from university or becoming a concert pianist all require learning skills. Even areas that may seem fairly straightforward, such losing weight, can require you to learn what diets and exercise plans you can stick to, and how to motivate yourself to follow […]
  755. READ MORE
  756. How to Keep a Laser Focus Without Burning Out
  757. December, 2007
  758. 4 Comments
  759. Do you find your mind wandering when you’re trying to work? Do you feel guilty when you try to take some time away from your to-do list? Staying focused enough on your work to get things accomplished isn’t easy. Today I’m going to focus on one measurement, cyclicity that is critical to staying focused without […]
  760. READ MORE
  761. Why You Need to Run a Timelog (And How to Do It)
  762. November, 2007
  763. 12 Comments
  764. If someone was stealing 50 dollars a day from your bank account, you’d want to know about it, right? What if someone were stealing three or four hours from your spare time? What if that person was you? A timelog is a simple device to track where your time is going. Regularly running a timelog […]
  765. READ MORE
  766. Tips for Maximizing Your Days Off (and Prevent Working 24/7)
  767. November, 2007
  768. 2 Comments
  769. It’s easy to assume that once you get the workweek managed, the weekend will come naturally. That attitude makes it easy to waste your days off. It seems like just a few moments ago it was Friday and you were craving a day of rest, now the Monday is starting again and you feel just […]
  770. READ MORE
  771. Making Money From Blogging
  772. November, 2007
  773. 14 Comments
  774. I’ve received a number of e-mails from other bloggers asking about how to build a successful blog and make money online. My short answer is that I’m still figuring that out but I have plenty of friends who seem to have found the answer. The long answer is that I have been able to draw […]
  775. READ MORE
  776. How to Teach Yourself Anything in Less Than Three Months
  777. November, 2007
  778. 17 Comments
  779. Self-education can be wonderful and frustrating at the same time. If you go about it correctly, you can teach yourself anything in just a few months. Poorly applied, however, self-education can be a stressful nightmare. I’d like to share my tips to achieve the former and avoid the latter. My self-education has been fairly extensive. […]
  780. READ MORE
  781. How to Debug Your Brain
  782. November, 2007
  783. 7 Comments
  784. Intelligence is the ability to predict. Learning is taking the results of past predictions and applying it to future predictions. Stupidity is ignoring the results that don’t match your predictions. Therefore, it seems there are a lot of stupid people. I’m always amazed at how passionately attached people can become to a political ideology. Capitalists […]
  785. READ MORE
  786. 11 Easy Ways to Improve Memory
  787. November, 2007
  788. 10 Comments
  789. Helping me on the site today is Todd Goldfarb. He wrote this guest post and is a writer at We the Change. As we get older, the neurons in our brain lose elasticity making it easier to forget things. Although this is an unfortunate reality all humans face, there are a myriad of lifestyle activities […]
  790. READ MORE
  791. How to Run Life as a Science Experiment
  792. November, 2007
  793. 3 Comments
  794. I love numbers. I’d much rather have data than opinions. Is exercising once a day better than twice a week? What page layout will get the most conversions? Does GTD actually help you get more done? You could consult “experts” for answers to these questions. But I’m going to start off saying something that might […]
  795. READ MORE
  796. The 7 Bad E-Mail Habits that Make People Want to Kill You
  797. October, 2007
  798. 38 Comments
  799. E-mail is a shallow way to communicate. It’s easy, fast and lacks the depth of understanding most people have face-to-face. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize just how much of this understanding is lost. As a result, they pick up bad habits and start driving coworkers, bosses and friends crazy. Here are seven particularly bad habits, […]
  800. READ MORE
  801. 50 Tricks to Study Better, Faster and with Less Stress
  802. September, 2007
  803. 128 Comments
  804. Studying isn’t one task, it’s many. You may need to memorize facts or just understand the basics. You might need a broad conceptual base, or just skills. To add even more variety, each person has different learning styles and preferences. No one tool is the right one. But with fifty here, you’re bound to find […]
  805. READ MORE
  806. Don’t Confuse a Degree with Learning
  807. September, 2007
  808. 7 Comments
  809. A few weeks ago I held an informal survey on this website. One of the questions was, “What do you want to learn?” I got back a myriad of responses but one trait stuck out. Many people answered that they wanted to get a particular degree or academic status. I’m worried when people start equating […]
  810. READ MORE
  811. 9 Steps to Stop Information Poisoning
  812. August, 2007
  813. 3 Comments
  814. A small amount of water reduces thirst. A large amount can poison you. The same principle applies to information. A small, carefully chosen amount can enhance your ability to make smart decisions. Too much and you fare no better than chance. The negative effect of too much information has been demonstrated in studies. One study, […]
  815. READ MORE
  816. Rational Versus Emotional Arguments
  817. August, 2007
  818. 13 Comments
  819. This is a follow-up to my original post supporting atheism, Why Atheism. One of the problems in the theism and spirituality debate I’ve encountered is the problem with rational versus emotional arguments. So far I’ve seen the arguments mostly being waged on the rational side. These are the arguments that point out how incredibly unlikely […]
  820. READ MORE
  821. Slim Your Reader, Go on an RSS Diet
  822. August, 2007
  823. 4 Comments
  824. Information is addictive. RSS feeds are a great tool for getting the latest news and information quickly. But like all tools, they can become a hazard if you let your feed reader bloat, draining your time and dividing your attention. I only subscribe to sixteen feeds and I never let it get beyond twenty. Keeping […]
  825. READ MORE
  826. Problem Solving Toolkit: 33 Tricks to Answer Tough Problems
  827. August, 2007
  828. 6 Comments
  829. When you have a tough problem you can’t solve, what do you do? If you’re like most people, you probably only have two or three routines for solving problems. This could be thinking it out, asking for help or writing it down. But having only three methods of solving problems is like a carpenter that […]
  830. READ MORE
  831. Give It To Me Straight – 11 Tips for Better Feedback
  832. July, 2007
  833. 2 Comments
  834. Feedback usually has little or no bearing on quality. Every person has a different style of giving advice. That style doesn’t usually change much whether they think you are almost perfect or downright horrible. When you ask for feedback, what you hear says a lot more about the other persons “feedback style” than your inquiry. […]
  835. READ MORE
  836. Ten Skills Everyone Should Have
  837. July, 2007
  838. 18 Comments
  839. There are a lot of skills you don’t need. You can be happy and successful without knowing how to make a program in C++, play racquetball or conduct major surgery. But there are other skills you can’t avoid. You can’t go far in today’s world without being able to read or write. Today the ability […]
  840. READ MORE
  841. 20 Tricks to Boost IQ and Build a Mental Exercise Routine
  842. June, 2007
  843. 55 Comments
  844. Why do people go to the gym? We didn’t evolve with treadmills and barbells, so why should experts recommend exercising every day? The answer would probably be because our daily life doesn’t challenge us enough physically. I’d like to suggest that our daily life doesn’t challenge us enough mentally. Through setting aside time to visit […]
  845. READ MORE
  846. Maximize Brainpower: Program a Function Library for Your Mind
  847. June, 2007
  848. 7 Comments
  849. Your brain is like a computer. Most computer languages use functions or methods to simplify common problems. Rewriting the same code every time you want to process how a button is clicked or a data is written would take forever. Functions simplify the code by having a template process that is flexible enough to handle […]
  850. READ MORE
  851. Stick Figure to Mona Lisa: 15 Tips for Becoming Artistic
  852. June, 2007
  853. 7 Comments
  854. You are an artist. Everyone is. Any act of creation is art. Software, articles and cooking are as much artistic acts as painting a landscape or composing a symphony. Even if your normal tools are a keyboard and IDE instead of a brush and canvas you can improve your artistic skills. I’ve always had a […]
  855. READ MORE
  856. 10 Must-Have Steps to Getting Honest Feedback
  857. June, 2007
  858. 12 Comments
  859. People are too nice. You’re worried about rejection and criticism? I think it is more important to worry about the opposite, that people aren’t giving you the honest feedback you need. Even when most people do give criticism, it is usually worded to be as unoffending as possible, often omitting true feelings. I’ve delivered speeches […]
  860. READ MORE
  861. Never Eat Alone
  862. June, 2007
  863. 4 Comments
  864. I just finished the great book, Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi. The books major premise: that the idea of rugged individualism, being a lone wolf and succeeding on your own is a myth. Instead, Ferrazzi argues, every success you get should be built off […]
  865. READ MORE
  866. 21 Not-So-Quick Tips to Improve Creativity
  867. June, 2007
  868. 9 Comments
  869. I’ve read a lot of tips lists, articles and books on the subject of creativity. I think the ability to come up with creative solutions is important enough to warrant a lot of research. Unfortunately, a lot of the time I’ve found myself disagreeing with what experts say are the keys to creativity. I don’t […]
  870. READ MORE
  871. The Effort Delusion – Why Hard Work Isn’t Enough
  872. June, 2007
  873. 16 Comments
  874. It’s time to face facts. Hard work isn’t enough to succeed in today’s world. If there ever was a time when sheer force and industry would get the job done it has passed. I’d like to argue that hard work is being replaced by three other factors that will be far more important in the […]
  875. READ MORE
  876. Seven Tricks to Stop Forgetfulness
  877. May, 2007
  878. 56 Comments
  879. I used to be horrible at remembering things. Little details like tasks, appointments and ideas often slipped my mind. And I can remember joking that I could only remember two dates, my birthdate and Christmas. It took me a lot of work and research to find ways to overcome my forgetfulness. My ability to remember […]
  880. READ MORE
  881. The 4-Hour Workweek
  882. May, 2007
  883. 21 Comments
  884. I just finished reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. Between several readers of this site nagging me to buy the book and what is probably one of the best PR jobs I’ve seen in the blogging world, it was hard to miss this book. It seems like everyone has been talking about it. And […]
  885. READ MORE
  886. Holistic Learning EBook
  887. April, 2007
  888. 16 Comments
  889. I’ve just released my first free e-book, Holistic Learning: How to Study Better, Understand More and Actually “Get” What You Want to Learn. In an easy to read format, the book is also filled with many color illustrations to add impact to the ideas. Download Holistic Learning Now for Free Although many of the ideas […]
  890. READ MORE
  891. How to Learn Holistically
  892. April, 2007
  893. 2 Comments
  894. I just did a guest post at the Ririan Project about how to improve your learning. If you like the ideas about holistic learning in my article, How to Ace Your Finals Without Studying, then you will probably enjoy the tips I posted for how to actually go about doing it. Some of the tips […]
  895. READ MORE
  896. Avoiding Motivation Burnout
  897. April, 2007
  898. 8 Comments
  899. It’s easy to get really enthusiastic about a new goal, start working hard and then completely burn yourself out a week later. For some people it’s an annual event, usually starting about January 1st. Diets that crash in a month. Financial plans that aim to hit your first million in a year. Like a kid […]
  900. READ MORE
  901. Great Books
  902. April, 2007
  903. 7 Comments
  904. I get a lot of questions about what books I’ve read. I may mention the odd book in a post, but most of my reading is relatively hidden. Seeing as there are many excellent books out there, I’ve decided to add a ‘Great Books’ category in the sidebar. I’m keeping it intentionally small, limiting everything […]
  905. READ MORE
  906. Are You Using Less Than One Percent of Your Brain?
  907. April, 2007
  908. 7 Comments
  909. An often cited statistic is that most people are using about 10% of their brains. This is far from accurate as virtually all of the brain material is engaged in various processes from breathing to hunger. But, according to T.D. Wilson of the Harvard University Press, conscious processing is estimated to account for less than […]
  910. READ MORE
  911. Studying and Holistic Learning
  912. March, 2007
  913. 59 Comments
  914. Like my article on speed reading, it seems that my article on holistic learning has brought a fair bit of confusion and controversy even for a large amount of coverage. Given the immense amount of feedback I received about this post I think it is only fair that I go into a little more depth […]
  915. READ MORE
  916. How to Ace Your Finals Without Studying
  917. March, 2007
  918. 278 Comments
  919. I’ve never been that keen on studying before an exam. I rarely study for more than a half hour, even for big final exams worth more than half my grade. When I do study, I usually just skim over the material and do a few practice questions. For some of my math classes I have […]
  920. READ MORE
  921. The Myth of Talent
  922. February, 2007
  923. 35 Comments
  924. Talent is a myth. At some point in your life you noticed that some people were unusually good at certain things. The brainiac who aced all his exams. The star jock who scored both on and off the court. The person who oozed charisma and everyone loved. Why were they successful? Some people probably told […]
  925. READ MORE
  926. Seven Steps to Superior Learning
  927. November, 2006
  928. 1 Comment
  929. Have you ever read through a book only to be left with only a vague recollection of what it was about? Have you ever spent months with a book on your shelf knowing that you should read it, but never got around to it? Have you ever caught your mind slipping while reading only to […]
  930. READ MORE
  931. How to Speed Up Your Learning Rate
  932. July, 2006
  933. 8 Comments
  934. The rate at which you learn will dramatically impact your effectiveness in our fast-paced world. Your entire professional life will be built largely on your ability to keep up with an ever increasing barrage of information. Your personal life is also controlled largely by your ability to learn. Keeping up with information for your health, […]
  935. READ MORE
  936. Introduction – Patterns for Success (Series)
  937. June, 2006
  938. 4 Comments
  939. This is the first article in the series entitled “Patterns of Success”. In this series I will identify the three major steps I have used for virtually every personal growth achievement I have ever made. Mastering your effectiveness in all three steps will allow you to move your own personal development further much more rapidly, […]
  940. READ MORE
  941. Back to Basics
  942. June, 2006
  943. 2 Comments
  944. The success of any venture, be it a project, a goal or your entire life depends entirely on your ability to successfully execute the actions that will produce the result. Action will create success far more than planning, creativity or inspiration can even approach. A beautiful idea, strategy or goal is worth only as much […]
  945. READ MORE
  946. Learn By Doing
  947. May, 2006
  948. 6 Comments
  949. How often do you see a good idea in a book and then proceed to do nothing about it? When that information is presented to you again, do you feel yourself saying, “I already learned this…” The truth is you didn’t learn it then and you haven’t learned it now. This is because most people […]
  950. READ MORE
  951. Never Run out of Ideas Again
  952. March, 2006
  953. 9 Comments
  954. All of us know the feeling. We are supposed to come up with an idea, but instead we can’t come up with anything. In our work this can mean spending long hours staring at our computer monitor, hoping that the solution will jump out at us. In our personal lives this can even take the […]
  955. READ MORE
  956. Positivity and the Elephant
  957. March, 2006
  958. 8 Comments
  959. I’ve read and listened to a lot of personal development material. The one thing you tend to notice is that most of the authors and speakers of this material tend to be pretty much in agreement on just about everything. Some authors focus on one area and others focus on another, but it is rare […]
  960. READ MORE
  961. The World is Flat
  962. March, 2006
  963. 14 Comments
  964. I have irrefutable evidence that the world is flat. Hundreds of scientists have reviewed my statement, and found that, amazingly, it is correct. The world may appear spherical, but the evidence proves, that it is actually flat. The world is flat. What do you have to say about that? Chances are you would argue heavily […]
  965. READ MORE
  966. Optimization VS Innovation
  967. February, 2006
  968. 4 Comments
  969. The two key factors in personal growth are optimization and innovation. While innovation is usually flashy, quick and powerful, it is also usually unpredictable. Optimization, on the other hand, may be slower and smaller, but it is regular and predictable. Succeeding in personal growth requires both, but I think the process of optimization is often […]
  970. READ MORE
  971. Writing to Solve Personal Problems
  972. February, 2006
  973. 18 Comments
  974. An incredibly powerful technique for solving problems is by simply writing it down. It seems rather simple, but it can often allow you to solve problems you previously thought were impossible. I remember in the first computer science class I took, I had to do an assignment where I was to take the task of […]
  975. READ MORE
  976. Why Pursue Personal Development?
  977. February, 2006
  978. 5 Comments
  979. Why should I pursue personal development? To answer this question I think I should start by explaining why I chose to pursue personal development, and why I believe that pursuing personal development is one of the most important things you can decide to do in your life. The idea of personal development never crossed my […
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