Betterment

It’s surprisingly easy to be generous and find solutions to our friend’s problems. Much easier than it is to do it for ourselves. Why? There are two useful reasons, I think. FIRST, beca…

That’s not true for a screwdriver. Or a table saw or even a spatula. These are useful tools, but they don’t pretend to be well-informed or wise. They’re dumb, and they look dumb t…

In the present age, the word “cult” is used in a pejorative sense. But it didn’t always carry this negative baggage.  Cult derives from the Latin cultus, which was originally an agri-cult-ural term referring to the cultivation of the land. The Romans, who participated in both state and private cults, used the word to describe […]

By minimizing distractions and ensuring quick access to information, chatbots can help teams focus on delivering high-quality software.

Founders often believe they've found product/market fit when they haven't. This is a huge problem because they start hiring people, increasing burn, and optimizing their product before they've actually discovered what needs to be built. Here's a way to understand when you've really found product/market fit.

An archive of the best articles from Marc Andreessen’s now defunct blog

Sometimes, we’re so afraid of creation that we don’t even leave blank pages around. If your workspace has a hole exactly the size of a creative idea in it, you’re more likely to f…

Dreams are fine. And dreams involve contradictions. We want this AND that, but both can’t happen. That’s what keeps them from being plans. Plans embrace boundaries and reality, they don…

One day, well into Willie Nelson's long and illustrious career, a TV presenter asked the musician why he wasn’t writing all the great classic songs like

Expertise and firmly held beliefs don’t always go together. Here’s a simple XY grid to help us choose where to sit at whatever table we’re invited to: Plenty of well-trained profe…

I’ve been thinking about something I posted last week — in an excerpt from his new book The Work of Art, former New Yo

Six years ago I celebrated my 68th birthday by gifting my children 68 bits of advice I wished I had gotten when I was their age. Every birthday after that I added more bits of advice for them until I … Continue reading →

Why did a T-shirt and jeans become the default casual outfit for most people? Discover the surprising origins of casual style today!

'The theory claims that the secret to a creatively fulfilling career lies in understanding the operations of Helsinki's main bus station,' explains Oliver Burkeman

How muggles and sociopaths invade and undermine creative subcultures; and how to stop them.

Gordon Seidoh Worley Hey, alkjash! I'm excited to talk about some of David Chapman's work with you. Full disclosure, I'm a big fan of Chapman's in ge…

Starting a new pet project is easy. But finishing it? That's a different story. Many programmers love to tinker with side projects. I'll argue that most of the decent ones do, anyway. Learning new tools makes us want to build things. Innovative technologies, cool product ideas. Unfortunately, the result is

This article is a distraction. You should get back to your work! Or not?

At Salone de Mobile, the enigmatic director David Lynch has designed a room to help you think. It certainly won’t let you relax.

Productivity isn’t throwing out all your existing commitments in the fanatical pursuit of a big ambition. Instead, choosing what matters and organizing your time and energy to reach it.

If we didn’t have rivals, there’d be no losing. There’d be no winning either. Because there’d be no competition. And while that seems like an appealing

Managers can increase productivity by leading with an inquiry based appraoch.

This week is the 150th anniversary of the most important failed art exhibit of all time. It was organized by and featured artists who weren’t even among those that had a slot at the runner&#8…

A barback supports the bartending staff. There are always clean glasses and fresh ingredients, ready to go. Having someone else do your mise en place can dramatically improve your productivity. And…

“How do you get the word out?” I’ve heard this from presidential candidates, from small business leaders and nonprofits as well. It’s easy to believe that the goal of marketing is…

I walk a lot. I mean, I'm a New Yorker now, and here we walk significantly more than other Americans elsewhere do (which isn't necessarily saying much as Americans in general walk very little -- far far less than the residents in other industrialized countries). Poppy and I walk Kin