Farnam Street
Mastering the best of what other people have already figured out
While we can learn a lot from what successful people do in the mornings, as Nassim Taleb points out, we can learn a lot from what failed people do before breakfast too. Inversion is actually one of …
One of the big differences between the most successful people we’ve met and others is how they use their morning. Used well, the time before breakfast dramatically increases your productivity. …
I had an opportunity to ask Robin Dreeke a few questions. Robin is in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s elite Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program and the author of It’s Not …
This is from an interesting article in the New York Times on one man’s quest to find out the truth on genetically modified crops. “Greggor Ilagan initially thought a ban on genetically …
The “last lecture” is common with a lot of professors on college campuses. Professors are asked to consider what matters most to them. If you’ve ever sat in the audience for one of …
In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, we find a list of thirteen virtues that Franklin thought were necessary or desirable. Virtues are character traits considered morally good and valued for …
Why do partnerships work well? That’s the question Michael Eisner explores in Working Together: Why Great Partnerships Succeed. Some of the most successful and accomplished people are really …
“While the link between attention and excellence remains hidden most of the time, it ripples through almost everything we seek to accomplish.” *** Focus matters enormously for success in …
We’ve talked a lot about inversion — solving problems backwards. In this short video, grandmaster Maurice Ashley walks us through retrograde analysis, which is a method to solve game positions …
In the era of Kindles, tweets, Facebook and instant celebrity how should presidents act? “Are we really better off with a president who knows who Snooki is?”, asks Tevi Troy in his …
Immediately to lash out in retaliation, however, and neither to listen nor be listened to, but to speak while being spoken to, is scandalous; on the other hand anyone who has acquired the ability to …
Here’s something worth reflecting upon: We take other men’s knowledge and opinions upon trust; which is an idle and superficial learning. We must make them our own. We are just like a man …
When we look at situations we’re always looking for what’s unique. We should, however, give more thought to similarities. “This time is different” could be the 4 most costly …
When was the last time reading the news made you wiser? Not more informed – wiser. We stuff ourselves with headlines and updates, believing that more information makes us smarter. Yet this daily …
From philosophy and friendship to idea creation and building daily routines. While I never had any doubt that Farnam Streeters are the smartest people on the internet, the data once again tells that …
Scott Adams, the famous creator of Dilbert, has made a very good living by understanding and revealing human psychology. In How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Adams shares “the …