Down a long hallway, in a basement somewhere under the Stanford campus, an experiment was taking place that would spiral out of control so badly it had to be aborted part way through. On paper it was brilliant - in reality, it triggered one of the most sensitive parts of our psyche - losing control. It was 1971 and the designer of the experiment was Phil Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology. The setup… Continue reading
The secret to getting sh*t done and 6 ways to get started
I have an apology to make. I think in past articles I’ve given you some lousy advice about productivity. Really lousy. But, I’m not the only one who should be apologizing—there’s a barge load of bad advice in blogs, books,… Continue reading
The bizarre truth about willpower and keeping promises
In a research facility near Sydney, Australia, 2 dozen people sipped coffee and listened carefully to their instructions. They were about to commit to a new exercise routine. In fact, it was much bigger than that. The plan was for… Continue reading
3 steps to building willpower and becoming a force of nature
In a dusty laboratory, tucked away in the bowels of Florida State University, sat a plate full of freshly baked cookies. They were chocolate chip. Beside them, on a separate plate, were a half-dozen radishes. This odd (and slightly cruel)… Continue reading
How drinking tea can make you rich (and build willpower)
I stopped drinking coffee and it changed my life. It wasn’t so much that getting off the brew improved my health, although it didn’t hurt. The real win, when I switched from coffee to tea, was I learned about willpower. In… Continue reading