Psychology
Let’s Stop Hating on Experts, Shall We?
One of my favorite moments of all time was at a roundtable with Esther Perel. There were 10 of us and this guy raises his hand and asks how he can be a better husband to his wife who’s pregnant because he knows that when you’re pregnant your brain changes and he’d like to support her. (…)
What’s Holding You Back From Doing Your Work?
She was like a character out of a storybook. The scary witch. Her hair disheveled and she always wore black and smelled like cigarettes. When I asked her for feedback on the fifth draft of my thesis, she said that I couldn’t use one of the books I’d chosen. “I get that you love it. (…)
How To Write Effective Emails That Get People To Take Action
There’s a lotta talk about copy being the “be all end all” to behavior change. And while it matters, it’s not actually the thing that moves the needle. Exhibit A. This email from a property manager to her residents. Technically, this emails follows all the copy rules. Language is clear, not clever Doesn’t break the left margin (…)
The Secret Advantage of Peer Pressure
When you’re a kid they warn you about “peer pressure.” I remember being very concerned about this. One day a kid would come up to me and ask me to do drugs. And I’d be like “NO!” and make my 4th-grade class proud! I was a cute little 4th grader. As you know from your (…)
Why You Need To Go Back To Trusting Your Instincts and Start Having Fun
One the most destructive things no one talks about is when you stop trusting your instincts. It happens at different times for each of us, but it always the same shift. You go from “this is fun!” ——> “oh sh*t, there are consequences.” For a lot of us, school is the culprit behind this shift. (…)
The New Rules of Gift Giving
It was awkward. The couch was sweaty. Probably because I was nervous. I don’t know. All I knew was it was uncomfortable. We’d decided not to do gifts that holiday season. It felt like a scene out of 20th century England. No one said anything directly, but their faces were judging us. We’d made a (…)
Why Good People Need To Get Comfortable With Wealth And Power
At the end of every Tim Ferriss Show episode, Tim asks his guests the same question: “When you think of the word ‘successful,’ who is the first person that comes to mind and why?” Listeners love it when the guest says, “My father. He worked 40 hour days at the car shop, didn’t speak any English, (…)
The Real Reason Things Go Viral (It’s Not The Algorithm)
For 24 hours this week, I lost my mind. I read this article and my brain went, “STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING. TELL EVERYONE TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW!!” like it was some sort of content emergency (it wasn’t). Text. Email. Slack. Heck, I’m sharing it with you right now. Turns out, 49,000 other people also lost their (…)