You’ve probably heard the words “modernism” and “postmodernism” before. Perhaps you heard them uttered by a stuffy professor or some nerd with a bow-tie in an art gallery. But I’d like to take a few minutes to convince you that they are practical and important terms. First, some definitions. Modernism…

Loneliness is low-key the root of so many of the mental health and social welfare issues today, yet nobody seems to know how to talk about or solve it. Loneliness is a tough topic to tackle. It’s so widespread, yet we still know little about how or why it happens. What’s the Deal With Loneliness? …

In economics, there’s a concept known as the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy occurs when someone makes a decision based on their previously invested time or resources. The classic example occurs when you buy something that you end up not needing or enjoying, but you force yourself to…

I’ve found there are a lot of misconceptions out there about how to read more and read well, mostly picked up from when we were in grade school. Here, I want to cover the three most common questions I get in regards to reading non-fiction: How do you remember what…

How do you use your time well? That’s a simple question with a very complicated answer. The idea of using time well is something I’ve written about in various places and for many years, but I’ve never approached the question: What is a good use of time? How do we…

Since turning 30, I’ve found myself on the opposite side of many of the same arguments I had in my 20s. Here are four of those shifts. — T his past month, I went back and reread the book Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber. The first time I read the book was back in 2013 and, ever since, I’ve largely considered it one of my favorite books on economics, the history of finance, and political…

A life that chases rare experiences is all breadth and no depth. — M any years ago, I got a last-minute invitation to a big and fancy charity ball. That probably doesn’t sound like a big deal, but living in New York City, “big fancy charity ball” is another name for an event where insanely rich and famous people get together to circle-jerk…

It’s possible, both as an individual and as a society, to be too entertained. — This is a Mindf*ck Monthly newsletter from July 18, 2022. Every month, I send out big ideas I’ve been chewing on in the hopes that it makes you less of a shitty person. Let’s dive right in. In David Foster Wallace’s classic novel, Infinite Jest, there’s a movie that is…

Things are rarely as bad — or as good — as you think they are. The goal is not to get too attached to lopsided thinking in one direction or the other. — I remember, back in 2008, walking into my manager’s office at the investment bank I worked at for all of three weeks and proudly declaring that I quit. I had just come up with an idea for an internet business that I thought was going to earn me a full-time…