A mental model is a general idea that can be used to explain many different phenomena. Supply and demand in economics, natural selection in biology, recursion in computer science, or proof by induction in mathematics — these models are everywhere once you know to look for them. Just as understanding…

Will mastering chess make you more strategic? Does playing Sudoku speed up your mind? Do brain teasers help you think more logically? — Sadly the answer is: probably not. From a 2016 review by Simons et al.: “[W]e find extensive evidence that brain-training interventions improve performance on the trained tasks, less evidence that such interventions improve performance on closely related tasks, and little evidence that training enhances performance on distantly related tasks or…

It’s a common opinion that we learn more from failure than success. “The wisdom of learning from failure is incontrovertible,” says Harvard Business Review. Learning from failure “fosters creativity” and helps you “become more resilient,” according to another essay. When Thomas Edison was asked if he was disappointed with his…

How do you find work you truly love? Not just work that pays well, but work that keeps your interest and is genuinely compelling? The most common answer to this question revolves around choice. A great career comes from following your passion. That means sitting down, thinking about what you…

Getting good at anything requires a lot of practice–but not all practice is equal. Just doing something a lot doesn’t ensure you’ll master it. Consider the person who hunts and pecks on the keyboard. Practice will help him go faster and make fewer mistakes, but no amount of pecking at…

Everyone wants advanced knowledge. But it’s typically the basics that matter most. Most math is arithmetic, not algebra. Running a business is largely a matter of keeping revenues above costs. Good writing is the product of clear ideas and clean sentences. I knew someone who was enrolled in a college…

Here are 10 interesting books I’ve been reading recently! 1. Consciousness and the Brain by Stanislas Dehaene

Time for learning can feel like a luxury. After a long day, it often feels like there isn’t energy for anything other than watching television and falling asleep. Who has time to learn philosophy, French, or painting? Yet our peak experiences come when we expand our thinking. Without learning, life…