Here’s the Math: We Pay Debt Instead of Buying Homes — Lately, my news feed has been overrun by articles stating that canceling student loan debt is an issue of “college graduates’ agenda-settting power.” It’s a trap, they say! Some pundits are currently saying that it will have dire consequences for the Biden administration, and only benefit those who are well-off…

Make Anything Figure Out-able by Working Backwards — I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was eight. Eight. In other words: I’ve spent countless hours in high school writing bad poetry. Essays, articles, and short stories in college. I wrote two novels in my 20’s. I’ve consumed more writing advice in my lifetime than a human should. …

Emotions and negative reactions to things that cause distress are actually normal and healthy — Recently, I was walking my dog, Daisy (breed: VERY GOOD GIRL) in my quiet neck of the woods when an unleashed dog appeared out of nowhere and attacked Daisy for what felt like 5 hours. Was I screaming at the top of my lungs? Yes. Very much yes. …

We have to think about why people are so angry in the first place — Last week, The Atlantic published “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid” by Jon Haidt, the NYU professor and author of The Coddling of the American Mind. Haidt has perfected the art of “Get Off of My Lawn-ism,” or finding ways to rationalize and codify…

During the hardest year of my life, I only shared my two biggest accomplishments — In 2018, this is what I posted on my Facebook timeline: April 22: Victory! May 24: Happiness!

If No One Looks Like You, Your Story Would Change the World — About 15 years ago, I learned that I was working for the same editor who had once mentored one of my favorite writers. Eventually, when we had some free time together, I asked what Big Famous Writer had been like to work with. “They weren’t the most naturally talented writer,”…

We’re Missing the Point of That Stupid Clay Pot Story — If you want to get better, you’ve got to produce. Again and again. That’s the argument in The Clay Pot Story. If you haven’t heard it: “A teacher divides a class into two groups. Group A only has to produce one clay pot. Group B has to make as many…

There’s always a lot in someone else’s life that you can’t see — The other day, I finally decided to have a free session to discuss my new book, Making Numbers Count, with readers. It was small and very informal — a group of people discussing numbers, asking about different ways to present data at work. …

Real Life Includes Housework and Random Unplanned Stuff — SCHEDULE ALL THE THINGS. If you don’t, you’re an amateur. Here’s a sampling of a day that podcaster Andrew Huberman, author Cal Newport, or Tim Ferriss might approve: 6am: wake up, meditate, workout, shower/self-care/coffee/journal 8am: write for 3 hours, including a book chapter and blog post, in a perfectly ergonomic setup and atmosphere…