Q: How do I steer human behavior? A: With carefully designed incentives. I heard a story of a parent working to potty-train their toddler. They offered a skittle candy every time their young son went potty.… Read More »Building Better Incentives
Q: What’s so bad about binging-tv and door-dash? A: It erodes away the strength of our communities. Here’s an excerpt from (at the time) President-Elect JFK in the 12/26/1960 edition of Sport’s Illustrated: Of course, modern… Read More »Slothful-Ease
Q: Why pay someone when I can do it myself? A: There’s a special efficiency achieved when you work with others. Andy George set out to make a chicken sandwich without paying other people for… Read More »The Chicken Sandwich Problem
Q: Which is more important the right tool or the right motivation? A: The right motivation. I canceled my gym membership over a year ago and now I’m in the best shape of my life. For… Read More »Why You Don’t Need Better Tools
Q: How much choice do we have? A: As much as we’re given. We can choose what book to read, but only what the publishers choose to publish. We can choose what to eat, but only… Read More »The Illusion of Choice
Q: What can I learn from a roping cowboy? A: Key insights into infrastructure. While walking through the Denver Art Museum recently, this piece caught my eye. Along with being visually stunning, the painting was accompanied… Read More »A Tight Dally and a Loose Latigo
Q: How do I buy back my time without spending money? A: Say “No”. Obviously you can pay the handyman to fix something broken around the house, or pay a landscaper to care for the yard;… Read More »Buying Time Without Money
Q: Why is the truth hard to come by? A: It’s easy to mistake for a forgery. “Harvard’s motto is ‘Veritas.’ Many of you have already found out and others will find out in the course… Read More »When Truth Eludes Us
Q: What’s the difference between a Bug and a Feature? A: Whether your input supports it. We normally think of a “bug” as something we don’t want; like a broken link or an error message. However,… Read More »Bug or Feature?
Q: How can I hit my goal of reading more this year? A: Libraries are more useful than you might realize. If you’re trying to read more in 2024, you’re not alone. But Amazon and Audible… Read More »Tools for Reading