Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Hidden Debt of Convenience
Episode 467
A few weeks ago, I came across a podcast clip of Conan O'Brien talking about why he doesn't pay to fly private. He likes going through the airport, c…
7 hours ago
Why You Need to Subtract: The Vasa Effect)
Episode 466
In 1628, Sweden's mightiest warship sank less than a mile into its maiden voyage -- not because of an enemy attack, but because a king couldn't stop …
5 days, 7 hours ago
Why You Need a Side Quest in Life
Episode 465
The seat you randomly chose on day one is the seat you'll sit in for the rest of the term. My college professor said that, and he was right -- not ju…
1 week ago
The Scarlet Robe Effect
Episode 464
A fancy robe nearly destroyed a philosopher's life.
In 1765, Denis Diderot's financial means went from meager to extravagant. Soon thereafter, he came…
1 week, 5 days ago
The Traffic Jam Theory of Success
Episode 463
Everyone's asking: how do I stand out in the AI era? A 1968 German mathematician's traffic paradox holds the answer.
When everyone floods the new shor…
2 weeks ago
A Japanese Ritual to Improve Your Habits
Episode 462
In the early 1900s, an aging Japanese steam train engineer named Yasoichi Hori was growing increasingly concerned about his deteriorating eyesight.
Ho…
2 weeks, 5 days ago
I Think I'm Having a Reverse Midlife Crisis
Episode 461
I think I'm having a midlife crisis."
That's what my friend, who I'll call Joe, said to me at dinner a few weeks ago. Joe is in his early-40s. He's ha…
3 weeks ago
The IKEA Effect: Why Effort Still Counts
Episode 460
Why do you value the things you build yourself so much more than anything you can buy?
In this episode, I share a personal story from my first apartme…
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Stop Making a 5-Year Plan (Do This Instead)
Episode 459
"So, what's your 5-year plan?"
That was the question posed to me by a mentor in January 2021. At the time, I was about seven years into my career, on …
4 weeks ago
How to Avoid Catastrophe: The Normalization of Deviance
Episode 458
On January 27, 1986, just 16 hours before the Space Shuttle Challenger was set to launch, an engineer named Roger Boisjoly presented data showing a c…
1 month ago