Analysts who try to predict the future of technology have one quality in common: they are almost always wrong. The internet and personal computers are phenomenon that defied (most of) the collective imagination that spawned them. Even seemingly prescient novels like Neuromancer can only come so close. To attempt to...

In Ireland there is a saying “what’s the crack?” to mean, “what is happening?”  Here, though, I am referring to your drug of choice to motivate yourself.  I have a number of things that I fall back on when I need an extra bump in productivity (not just coffee).  ...

I am frequently asked about how to become a computer programmer.  Being able to write software, websites and mobile apps is a skill that is appreciating in value every day.  In this post I will cover the basics of how to learn to program computers – on your own, without...

If you read self-help books, you will find plenty of advice telling you how to become less busy or cut down on your responsibilities.  I am all for minimalism, and I certainly do not want to encourage multitasking so that you hurt your performance – and we definitely do not...

Every once in a while it behooves even the kindest of people to be a bit of a jerk.  The world tries to pull us each in different directions, and often it becomes necessary to put a foot down – and sometimes this cannot be done whilst maintaining the finest...

This particular experiment is very dear to my heart as it has become a way of life. For 9 months I have lived in 4 countries, never staying in one for longer than 11 weeks.  I have had the opportunity to do and learn some amazing things by challenging the...

Listening to educational podcasts while you walk on the street may sound like a good idea, but how much is it really helping you?  Multitasking promises to give us something for free – just do X while you already do Y, and you’ll get more/better results!  But how much does...

  Regardless of if you’re on an airplane or just trying to maintain your energy levels, crashes suck.  In both cases they are very preventable – but only before the fact.  By the time you notice that your energy levels are low (or that there’s a big hole in the...

Ever since I first saw posts like this one on Lifehacker, I wanted to try switching to a standing desk.  Rumor has it that it’s better for energy levels, posture, and cures cancer.  Well, maybe not the last one.  I travel a lot so I frequently don’t have control over...

I first started studying how to improve studying (specifically, neuroscience & memorization) a few years ago.  Here’s an old paper I wrote for a neuroscience class on the topic, in fact.  As you can see from the paper and this YouTube video I made, the length of a study session...