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Self-Improvement

Experts vs. Imitators

If you want the highest quality information, you have to speak to the best people. The problem is many people claim to be experts, who really aren’t. Safeguard: Take time to distinguish real experts from imitators. Not everyone who …

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The Art of Being Alone

Loneliness has more to do with our perceptions than how much company we have. It’s just as possible to be painfully lonely surrounded by people as it is to be content with little social contact. Some people need extended periods of time …

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The Small Steps of Giant Leaps

One of the most beneficial skills you can learn in life is how to consistently put yourself in a good position. The person who finds themselves in a strong position can take advantage of circumstances while others are forced into a series …

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The Pygmalion Effect: Proving Them Right

If you expect a dazzling feat, you might just get one. Many people believe that their pets are of unusual intelligence and can understand everything they say, often with stories of abnormal behavior to back it up. In the late 19th century, …

Read moreThe Pygmalion Effect: Proving Them Right

The Ultimate Deliberate Practice Guide: How to Be the Best

Everything You Need to Know to Improve Your Performance at Anything—For Beginners and Experts Deliberate practice is the best technique for achieving expert performance in every field—including writing, teaching, sports, programming, music, …

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What Information Do You Need in Order to Change?

“Feedback is an effective tool for promoting efficient behavior: it enhances individuals’ awareness of choice consequences in complex settings.” —“Feedback and Efficient Behavior,” Sandro Casal, Nives DellaValle, Luigi Mittone, and Ivan …

Read moreWhat Information Do You Need in Order to Change?

Why You Should Practice Failure

We learn valuable lessons when we experience failure and setbacks. Most of us wait for those failures to happen to us, however, instead of seeking them out. But deliberately making mistakes can give us the knowledge we need to more easily …

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The Best of The Knowledge Project 2020

One of the best ways to learn is a good conversation. While there are many advantages to a good conversation, perhaps the best is that you can benefit from the lessons that other people have already paid the price for. Of course, …

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Job Interviews Don’t Work

Better hiring leads to better work environments, less turnover, and more innovation and productivity. When you understand the limitations and pitfalls of the job interview, you improve your chances of hiring the best possible person for …

Read moreJob Interviews Don’t Work

Bad Arguments and How to Avoid Them

Productive arguments serve two purposes: to open our minds to truths we couldn’t see — and help others do the same. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls and argue like a master. *** We’re often faced with situations in which we need to argue …

Read moreBad Arguments and How to Avoid Them

Why We Focus on Trivial Things: The Bikeshed Effect

Bikeshedding is a metaphor to illustrate the strange tendency we have to spend excessive time on trivial matters, often glossing over important ones. Here’s why we do it, and how to stop. *** How can we stop wasting time on unimportant …

Read moreWhy We Focus on Trivial Things: The Bikeshed Effect

What You Truly Value

Our devotion to our values gets tested in the face of a true crisis. But it’s also an opportunity to reconnect, recommit, and sometimes, bake some bread. *** The recent outbreak of the coronavirus is impacting people all over the world — …

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The Illusory Truth Effect: Why We Believe Fake News, Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda

When a “fact” tastes good and is repeated enough, we tend to believe it, no matter how false it may be. Understanding the illusory truth effect can keep us from being bamboozled. *** A recent Verge article looked at some of the unsavory …

Read moreThe Illusory Truth Effect: Why We Believe Fake News, Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda

The Positive Side of Shame

Recently, shame has gotten a bad rap. It’s been branded as toxic and destructive. But shame can be used as a tool to effect positive change. *** A computer science PhD candidate uncovers significant privacy-violating security flaws in large …

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The Inner Game: Why Trying Too Hard Can Be Counterproductive

The standard way of learning is far from being the fastest or most enjoyable. It’s slow, makes us second guess ourselves, and interferes with our natural learning process. Here we explore a better way to learn and enjoy the process. *** …

Read moreThe Inner Game: Why Trying Too Hard Can Be Counterproductive

The Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People

Why do some people seem to make constant progress in their professional and personal lives while others repeat the same mistakes? I think part of the answer is how they approach problems. It comes down to mindset. Over time, the person who …

Read moreThe Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People

Turning Pro: The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals

Why do some people consistently outperform and achieve remarkable results while others struggle to tread water? There is one thing that stands out more than others: mindset. If you want results, you need to approach things like a …

Read moreTurning Pro: The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals

Habits vs. Goals: A Look at the Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Life

Nothing will change your future trajectory like your habits. We all have goals, big or small, things we want to achieve within a certain time frame. Maybe you want to make a million dollars by the time you turn 30. Or to lose 20 pounds …

Read moreHabits vs. Goals: A Look at the Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Life

Becoming an Expert: The Elements of Success

We’re massively impressed by a concert pianist, or a wide receiver, or a truly skillful visual artist. Their abilities seem otherworldly. But what makes these people so skillful? How did they start out like you and I and then become …

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Robert Moses and the Oxygen of Pure Competence

Do you know anyone that’s really, really competent? Like really, ridiculously competent? They seem to have a work ethic that’s twice as powerful as yours, they get things done as asked, going “above and beyond” the …

Read moreRobert Moses and the Oxygen of Pure Competence

The Many Ways Our Memory Fails Us (Part 2)

(Purchase a copy of the entire 3-part series in one sexy PDF for $3.99) *** In part one, we began a conversation about the trappings of the human memory, using Daniel Schacter’s excellent The Seven Sins of Memory as our guide. …

Read moreThe Many Ways Our Memory Fails Us (Part 2)

The Many Ways Our Memory Fails Us (Part 1)

(Purchase a copy of the entire 3-part series in one sexy PDF for $3.99) *** Recently, we discussed some of the net advantages of our faulty, but incredibly useful, memory system. Thanks to Harvard’s brilliant memory-focused …

Read moreThe Many Ways Our Memory Fails Us (Part 1)

Is Our Faulty Memory Really So Bad?

[This introduction is the first of a four-part series on memory. Also see Chatper One, Two, and Three on the challenges of memory.] The Harvard psychologist Daniel Schacter has some brilliant insights into the human memory. His wonderful …

Read moreIs Our Faulty Memory Really So Bad?

Tiny Gains. Massive Results.

When we want to improve ourselves, we often pursue dramatic changes with little success. A better idea is to go for small, incremental improvements that add up over time. *** Self-motivated, self-starting individuals are incredibly …

Read moreTiny Gains. Massive Results.
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