Sifting the Essential from the Non-Essential
The most powerful skill we’re never taught is deciding what to ignore. Someone who can concentrate on what truly matters will achieve more than someone who can’t. When everything seems …
Thinking
David Foster Wallace: The Future of Writing In the Age of Information
David Foster Wallace remains both loved and hated. His wisdom shows itself in argumentative writing, ambition, and perfectionism, and perhaps one of the best, most profound, commencement addresses …
Using Language to Change How We Think
What kind of thinking leads to better outcomes? That’s the question that Roger Martin addresses in his excellent book Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers. Changing how we …
Daniel Kahneman Explains The Machinery of Thought
Israeli-American psychologist and Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman is the founding father of modern behavioral economics. His work has influenced how we see thinking, decisions, risk, and even …
Charlie Munger on the Value of Thinking Backward and Forward
One of the five simple notions to solve problems is the concept of inversion. To solve problems we need to look at them both forward and backward. But how does this look in practice? Let me give you …
Five Simple Notions that Solve Problems
In 1996, Charlie Munger gave a talk titled Practical Thought about Practical Thought, where he explained the success of Coca-Cola using the simplest, most fundamental mental models he could find. …
Much of What You’re Going to Do or Say Today is Not Essential
If you’re a modern knowledge worker, your typical day might look something like this: you go to work, read and reply to emails, attend meetings, grab a coffee, have lunch, attend more meetings, …
Elements of Effective Thinking
Do you want to come up with more imaginative ideas? Do you stumble with complicated problems? Do you want to find new ways to confront challenges? Of course, you do. So do I. But when is the last time …
What Is Critical Thinking?
Based on our dysfunctional national dialogue, Hamilton College Professor Paul Gary Wyckoff articulates the critical thinking skills he wants his students to learn. 1. The ability to think empirically, …
Neil deGrasse Tyson: Why Words, Names, and Labels matter
Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why words, names, and labels matter. The lesson? Choose your words carefully. The universe is hard enough. The last thing the universe needs is a complex lexicon laid down …
Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies
Robert Gula in Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies: Let’s not call them laws; and, since they’re not particularly original, I won’t attach my name to them. They are merely a …
The Anatomy of a Decision: An Introduction to Decision Making
“The only proven way to raise your odds of making a good decision is to learn to use a good decision-making process—one that can get you the best solution with a minimal loss of time, energy, …