Betterment

Deciding to take ownership over the meaning of my work has unquestionably changed my life for the better. This post is the first time I've shared my process publicly.

Have you ever wondered what sets highly intelligent people apart? It’s not always about high test scores or extensive vocabulary. Sometimes, it’s the quirky habits they have that signify their […] More

Reduce inflammation and skip added sugars in this 30-day high-protein meal plan

We need you. But only if you need us. Purple.space is six months old, and there are about a thousand of us now. It was an experiment, now it’s a useful tool. The initiative hat is often ill-f…

Welcome to 2024. Back to work, here we go. So it’s Productivity Week on the blog. Productivity is the measure of the output (value) we get for the time or money we spend. Two hats for product…

Only 16% of people manage to keep their New Year’s Resolutions, according to the Washington Post and the Economic Times India. That’s pretty low, and a

Being happier is a choice that starts with consistent, positive habits. And there’s no better time to start than first thing in the morning. If you want to become a […] More

“You’re obviously talented and sharp. But I have no idea how to use you”. About the third time I heard this from different bosses, I felt like an utter failure. Why would someone as capable as I felt be so woefully misunderstood and underutilized? As it turns out, it

For some fortunate 17 year olds, the end of the year is the day for a momentous decision, one that’s largely out of the comfort zone of a 17 year old. A four-year college education in the US …

We evolved to be wary of change. Our attention is limited, new things can be a threat and the status quo feels comfortable. As a result, we spend a lot of time and energy being afraid (and arguing …

Every day matters. It seems like a waste to spend one as a to-do list item on someone else’s agenda. It’s easy to become so focused on checking the boxes that we forget that there are p…

For centuries, humankind has pondered the eternal question: what brings true happiness? While the pursuit fills books by philosophers and songs by poets, the

It’s almost impossible to remove a screw with your bare hands, but easy with a screwdriver. The handle might only add a little torque, but it’s more than enough. If someone is succeedin…

Many grow out of it and become serious people

Our brains are organized in substantial part by levels of abstraction. Brain layers go from those connected directly to outside, to layers that attend to fine details of both inferences and plans, to layers that attend to larger scale aggregates and distant sparsely-described things, up to layers that manage our most highest level summaries and plans.

Add up all the senses you use and the things you notice: that’s your umwelt. It’s pretty obvious that your dog has a different one than you do. They see fewer colors and smell far more …

Humanity’s lasting separation from its surroundings, and the catastrophic subjugation of all that lives.

Note: This is a rebroadcast. You want to declutter. You want to downsize. You want to live more simply. So what’s been holding you back from getting closer to those ideals? My guest today sorts through both the psychological and practical roadblocks that can get in the way of living more minimally, and more in […]

In 1959, three years after Columbia Records spent a fortune rolling out stereo recording, a senior A&R executive named Ward Botsman told the New York Times, “Let’s face it, the craz…

Most of us know what enough happiness feels like. But some people are stuck in an endless cycle of seeking more money. That’s a bad trade. Because after a certain threshold, it’s hard f…

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was besieged on all sides by those who thought the president was doing too much, too little, or simply making the wrong moves. In response to one critique, Lincoln told an anecdote about a cowboy who got lost while traversing the frontier. Darkness fell and a furious storm came […]

…of course, if you’re lost on purpose, you’re not lost. Lost is only possible if you are fixed on getting somewhere specific.

A divo (or diva) is an opera singer with skill. Sometimes, though, that skill comes in a package that also includes imperiousness, skittishness and a fair amount of unpredictable drama. It’s …

The future creeps up on us slowly. But when it leaps dramatically, we notice. One spam phone call a day is an irritation. 1,000 of them destroy the utility of the phone. One photographer undercutti…

Most of us know the wonderful 1966 TV Christmas special, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” based on the 1957 children’s book by Dr Seuss. It’s the story

Automate the job hunt to make more money & get better work-life balance.

While building a project, I found that a key part was stuck. I tapped it with a mallet, then harder, and eventually whacked at it. No luck. Then I got smart and put three clamps around the part, ge…

As the great Charlie Munger said in 1995 in his famous Psychology of Human Misjudgment speech at Harvard: “Show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the