At the core of every life is a single, difficult question: should I learn more, or should I make the most of what I already know? This is known as “the exploration-exploitation dilemma” (aka “the exploration-exploitation tradeoff“), and it’s the most important problem you’ll ever face.
[Read more…] about Managing the Exploration-Exploitation DilemmaExpertise
The 2 Types of Books You Should Be Reading
Most of what I write here is pretty long and detailed, but I’m going to make an exception today.
This is a quick guide for a common problem that I’ve noticed people have, especially when learning a new skill: picking a book. Enjoy.
[Read more…] about The 2 Types of Books You Should Be ReadingThe Value of Information
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, you’ve no doubt heard all about the benefits of living in “The Information Age.” It’s framed as a wondrous, liberating time to be alive, when there are no restrictions on what you can discover or create.
While I don’t think this is exactly wrong, I do think that there are some serious misconceptions about how much information itself is worth.
[Read more…] about The Value of InformationHow to Be a World-Class Anything
It’s a natural and classically human desire to stand victoriously on top of the podium. Even if we don’t admit it, just about everyone internally wants to be the best at something.
Some people want to be great athletes, while others desire admiration for their works of art. No matter what the domain, the idea remains the same: we all want to be (or at least considered) great.
[Read more…] about How to Be a World-Class AnythingHow to Use a Brain
A friend of mine and I recently had a conversation about the accumulation of knowledge and the limits of human information processing. He asked me whether my reading and research habits (which I’ll admit are a bit maniacal) were an example of cognitive overload that would lead to a bias against action.
[Read more…] about How to Use a Brain