The 85% Rule for Learning
Learning, it seems, is optimized for both humans and machines when we succeed around 85% of the time.
Why You Need Core Values
What gets you up in the morning? Seriously think about it. Your alarm goes off; why are you getting out of bed? Of course, many adults would say they have to pay bills, provide for a family, and save for a great vacation, but there has to be more, right? It can’t just be all about money? If it were all about money, you would go to the worst company if they paid you well, and you would stay at a terrible job that provides a good value for you. The truth is, money is part of why we get up, but what keeps us going each day is much deeper than that. It’s more tied to core values and who we are than we may even know.
One Question A Day
This free calendar schedules one thought-provoking question per day to help in all areas of your life from your career to your own personal growth.
12 Life Lessons From Mathematician and Philosopher Gian-Carlo Rota
The mathematician and philosopher Gian-Carlo Rota spent much of his career at MIT, where students adored him for his engaging, passionate lectures. In 1996, Rota gave a talk entitled “Ten Lessons I Wish I Had Been Taught,” which contains valuable advice for making people pay attention to your ideas.
Small Actions Make Great Leaders
Leadership has traditionally been taught as a set of larger actions, such as having a difficult conversation or coaching someone. In reality, leading well is an integrated activity, in which one is doing many things simultaneously. One way to learn to do this better is to think about leadership as a series of small actions that are practiced, then carefully sequenced and interwoven during interactions. For instance, instead of thinking of something as a “difficult conversation,” a leader might aim to disarm, then show appreciation, then appeal to values. Research identifies 25 such actions, and learning to implement them in the right circumstances can help one become a better leader.
Go deeper on Better Human.
Two iPhone tweaks that simplify my life
A new way to streamline your workflow on iOS, which you have not tried yet.
Good reasons to worry less about things you can't control
A fundamental lesson of Stoicism to reflect on.
Two mindfulness habits worth adapting
Small changes that help you to be more intentional.
All the books I have been listening to in 2021
A short personal review.
Embracing the cold shower
I hated cold showers, and now they are my daily treat. I am sharing some tactics that worked for me to embrace the cold.
Better Human is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.