Betterment

The fear of missing out (a.k.a FOMO) rules the world. In Influence, Robert Cialdini called it the scarcity principle. A millennia ago, FOMO was a matter

In 1812, Japanese woodblock print artist Katsushika Hokusai, who would later become famous for his iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa

Within the space of just three decades, monumental episodes of exploration and expedition, politics and violence, including the mapping of the Oregon Trail, the acquisition of California, and the Mexican-American and Civil wars, forever changed the history of the United States and the shape of the American West. And one man, an illiterate trapper, scout, […]

For many, the goal is to be the deciding vote, the donation that gets a cause over the goal, the person who counts. And often, we enjoy piling on. Once the cause or fashion or tech is clearly worki…

As someone who grew up without always having a computer on hand, I have an endless supply of notebooks that are scattered throughout the house. If you leafed through one, you’d discover everything from sketches to hastily jotted down dimensions to contextless phrases that surely were important at the time. I do love the act of writing, but it doesn’t work amazingly well for cross-referencing or context-switching. One of the areas that I find needs more structure and organization is that of keeping track of my contacts.

A Zettelkasten is a personal tool for thinking and writing that creates an interconnected web of thought. Its emphasis is on connection and not mere collection of ideas.

During my decade as a homeowner, I’ve noticed that there are a handful of tools I turn to on the regular for little jobs that need doing around the house. Instead of having to go out to my garage — particularly annoying because it’s downstairs — to get these tools and then having to go […]

There are mistakes. These are moments when reality teaches us something. And there’s stupid. This is what happens when we refuse to learn from our mistakes. “Don’t be stupid&#8221…

Maybe one piece of information is insufficient to get from where you were to where you just ended up. When we gradually walk our way to conclusions, we’re a lot more likely to find something …

In the years after World War I, longtime Army colleagues and friends George S. Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower contemplated what would happen if another global conflict broke out. As Patton envisioned it: “In the next war, I’ll be the Stonewall Jackson, and you can be the Robert E. Lee. Ike, you do the big […]

Paul Cronin's book of conversations with filmmaker Werner Herzog is called Werner Herzog - A Guide for the Perplexed. On the bac

Who has their hand on the dial? Talk with someone who works at Apple, Amazon, Google, Linkedin, Facebook, etc, and they’ll be happy to give you tips on how to work the platform to your advant…

Before purging your belongings to tidy up à la Marie Kondo, consider this organizational tactic championed by two artists with ties to the American furniture manufacturing company.

The apps my two newsletters use every week

Perhaps it’s a proprietary manufacturing technique, or the fact that you add a little chickpea flour to your dosa batter. Professionals often develop secret approaches and recipes that they u…

They’re easy to confuse. An event happens at date certain, then it’s over, nothing more to be done. A journey might include an event, but it’s bigger than that, and ongoing. A wed…

Exercise has been a central part of my life since at least the age of 17. Nearly three decades’ worth of hiking, running, lifting, and more have taught me conclusively that physical activity, combi…

Keep links to any app, Shortcut, or file in your vault, right next to your bookmarks

Pronouncements are more common than ever. It might be an insurgent announcing a way to change the government, a CEO with a bold new plan or an entrepreneur seeking funds. Or perhaps it’s a pu…

All caps, bold: MOVIE All caps, bold, asterisk: SHORT* All caps: TV SERIES Italics: Book Quotation marks: “Play” Italics, quotation marks: “Short Story” 01/01 Lemon, Kwon Yeo-sun, Creative Types, Tom Bissell, WEST SIDE STORY (’21), TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM 01/02 BRITAIN’S MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES 01/03 THE THING FROM

If you want a breakthrough, or something at the top of the rankings, or a skill that few have, or the chance to build something you’re proud of… It doesn’t pay to also require tha…

The slow death of trying to overwork your problems

A system to organise projects.

Don't Follow the Crowd, Learn to Think for Yourself Discover how to challenge your own beliefs and become a lifelong super Learner Sign Up Now Or read on below to learn more. Until you learn to change your mind, you will never change your life Right now, in this very moment, there are beliefs swirling around your mind that you picked up in some unknown time and place—beliefs that undergird your identity, how you see the world. You have beliefs about relationships, money, time, religion, the universe, and whether or not it's okay to put pineapple on pizza (it's not okay). You have beliefs about yourself—probably way more than you realize and probably way more fucked up than you can imagine. You have beliefs about others—most of which are probably wrong. You have beliefs about the world, which are definitely wrong. Ready to Challenge Your Own Beliefs? Signup takes just 60 seconds Sign Up Now Do You Know What You’re Doing? Are You Sure? Even if you can clearly explain your beliefs, you almost never know where these beliefs …

Luxury goods are items that are worth more (to some) because they cost more. The cost itself is the benefit that is being sold. There used to be a correlation between superior performance and price…

In the last several years, intermittent fasting — only eating for a short window each day — has gotten a lot of attention, particularly for the way it can facilitate weight loss. But as my guest will explain, going longer than a few hours or even a full day without eating also has some striking, potentially even life-changing benefits […]

How Onfido implemented focus time across our tech organization

85% of the users of dating apps say they would like the folks they go out with to tell them directly if they’re not interested. But two-thirds of these same people have ghosted someone before. A strange dynamic exists around telling people no — whether in personal or professional contexts. We know that we ourselves […]