• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Farnam Street Logo

Farnam Street

Mastering the best of what other people have already figured out

  • Articles
  • Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Courses
  • Log In
  • Become a Member

Nicolas Carr

The Glass Cage: Automation and US

People have worried about losing their jobs to robots for decades now. But how is growing automation really going to change us? Let’s take a look at the limitations of automation and the uniquely …

Continue readingThe Glass Cage: Automation and US

The Impoverishment of Attention

“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 …

Continue readingThe Impoverishment of Attention

The Tyranny of Email — 10 Tips to Save You

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my habits recently and how they affect me. One thing I’ve placed an increasingly watchful eye on is email. Email seems pervasive in our lives. We check email on …

Continue readingThe Tyranny of Email — 10 Tips to Save You

Too Many Decisions

The first thing you do in the morning is to make a decision. And those decisions pile up fast. Should I hit snooze? What clothes should I wear? What should I have for breakfast? What combination of …

Continue readingToo Many Decisions

The Myth of Multitasking: Why the Key to Better Work is Developing Forgotten Skills

Of course you can do more than one thing at once. The catch is you can’t do more more than one thing at once that requires concentration. You can walk and chew gum, but you can’t write an …

Continue readingThe Myth of Multitasking: Why the Key to Better Work is Developing Forgotten Skills

Multitasking: The Costs of Switching From One Task to Another

You may think that as you juggle emails, my-book, twitter, google, work, life, the phone and casual web surfing that you’re really doing all of that stuff at once, but what you’re really …

Continue readingMultitasking: The Costs of Switching From One Task to Another

Marshall McLuhan — The Man, The Mystery, The Life

Marshall McLuhan rocketed from an unknown academic to rockstar with the publication of Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man in 1964. Understanding Media contained the simple prophecy that …

Continue readingMarshall McLuhan — The Man, The Mystery, The Life

Nicolas Carr: On Situational and Ambient Overload

Nicolas Carr with some interesting thoughts: Situational overload is not the problem. When we complain about information overload, what we’re usually complaining about is ambient overload. This …

Continue readingNicolas Carr: On Situational and Ambient Overload

Discover What You’re Missing

Get the weekly email full of actionable ideas and insights you can use at work and home.


As seen on:

Forbes logo
New York Times logo
Wall Street Journal logo
The Economist logo
Financial Times logo
Farnam Street Logo

© 2023 Farnam Street Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Proudly powered by WordPress. Hosted by Pressable. See our Privacy Policy.

  • Speaking
  • Sponsorship
  • About
  • Support
  • Education

We’re Syrus Partners.
We buy amazing businesses.


Farnam Street participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon.