7 principles to help you read more and read better — Deep reading, or full engagement in a book, is an absolute joy. It is good for mind and spirit, and it is also a competitive advantage in today’s knowledge-based economy. Increasingly, people struggle to pay attention to just about anything, let alone a book. Yet deep reading confers many benefits…

Setting a goal on the edge of your comfort zone and letting it consume you can be as meaningful and invigorating as it gets. Whether it’s a big creative project, an athletic feat, or falling in love, there’s something to say about going all-in. The problem occurs when we get…

By now you’ve probably heard about a new class of drugs called semaglutides. They were recently approved by the FDA for weight loss. In clinical trials, participants lost astonishing amounts of weight. And so long as they continued taking the drug, they kept it off. Additionally, people taking semaglutides dramatically…

If you see, read, or hear about something that you think might be performative or fake, then you ought to assume it is. — This past week has been filled with wild news about artificial intelligence: its rapid advance, lingering pitfalls, and serious risks. What struck me most about all the AI takes was a common theme that users had to repeatedly remind themselves that the AI chat bots are not sentient. Which got…

A crucial tenet on the path to sustainable excellence — My first job out of school was at a white-shoe consulting firm. We’d be tasked with solving big and thorny problems for clients. In just about every project, we’d reach the three-week mark and still have no idea where our work was going. As a new analyst, this was terrifying…

On the relationship between complex systems, consistency, and excellence. — Anyone can burn bright for a few days, weeks, months, or maybe even a year. But burning bright over the long haul requires consistency. Trying to be great all the time usually leads to illness, injury, and burnout. It also creates a lot of tension and stress. But if you…

Whether it’s the “physiological sigh” popularized by podcaster Andrew Huberman or the New York Times advising people to “plunge your face into a bowl with ice water for 15 to 30 seconds,” quick and concrete tactics for managing stress and anxiety are all over the internet. And the truth is…

Biohacking, optimization, And the wellness industrial complex 2.0 is full of bunk; here’s what actually works. — In the self-help, biohacking, and personal improvement crowds, people often turn their entire lives into work, all in the name of getting better and living forever. I know some who get so into optimization, recovery-tracking, cold-exposure, and nutrient timing that every meal and shower — and even sleep — becomes…

Welcome to my annual reading list. If you are familiar with my work, you’ll know that it integrates ideas, research, and practices from diverse domains. (See my latest book, for example.) People always ask me how I do this. The answer is simple: I do my best to live in…