In past editions of this yearly book roundup, the recommendations have been almost exclusively nonfiction. This year was different, mostly because I was burnt out from doing research for my own book, A Bar in Toledo. I plowed through dozens of biographies, memoirs, and true crime accounts — all of…

The first time I heard the story, two thoughts came to mind: Holy shit. Why doesn’t anybody know about this? It was August 2019 and I was getting my feet wet at a small TV production company in St. Louis. …

I thought 2021 would be less of a time warp than 2020. I was wrong. We got stuck in a 365-day limbo period between the old normal and the new normal, and by the time we caught our breath the year was over — again. One way to combat chaos…

I have a habit of writing down ideas and advice I wish I’d known a long time ago (you can check out my lists from 2019 and 2020). Some of them come from conversations with smart people, many come from books, and I’ve learned a few the hard way. …

The following is an adaptation of New Problems, Old Answers: Practical History for People in a Hurry. This short (<500 words) monthly newsletter consists of two parts: a quick history lesson and how you can apply it today. Past editions include Would Napoleon disable Gmail notifications? …

How would you push an elite athlete into peak performance mode? Maybe you’d scour scientific journals to find the optimal diet or training regimen. Maybe you’d fork up a few grand for a motivational speaker. Or maybe you’d have them put their paycheck on the line. Jonah Berger, a professor…

Why am I distracted? That’s usually the last question you ask yourself when a deadline is looming. With each passing minute it becomes harder to focus. So you check your email (again), you drink another coffee, you put it off until tomorrow when you’ll “have more time.” You’ll do anything…

Around 9 a.m. when millions of people are checking sports scores and scouring Twitter, about 300,000 people are starting their day with something different. Stoicism. This ancient philosophy that emphasizes the values of temperance, detachment, and discipline originated in Ancient Greece, but today it lives in the email inboxes of…

I discovered partisan politics in third grade — October of 2004 to be specific. I sat in my wood-grained laminate desk as my teacher explained that John Kerry was running against the incumbent George W. Bush. …