Essays by Josh Kaufman
What are you NOT willing to do to get what you want? »
Strength training is one of the best things you can do for overall health, general fitness, and longevity. »
Exploring martial arts as a way to improve balance, coordination, and proprioceptive skills. »
It's tempting to wait, to hope someone will come up with a simple and easy way for you to get what you want. Usually, you wait in vain. »
I've been exhausted for over a decade. I tested something I've never tried before… and it changed my life. »
Strategic apathy is a way to make sure you’re working on what *you* value long-term, instead of what seems enticing on the surface. »
The greater the potential perceived status increase, the higher the risk of serious error or malinvestment. »
You can't make positive discoveries that make your life better if you never try anything new. Start experimenting, and never stop. »
Say you want to climb a tall ladder. Here's the worst way to go about it: refuse to move until you find a way to teleport yourself straight to the top. »
Of all of the qualities people can develop, wisdom is potentially the most beneficial. It's also difficult human qualities to define, let alone cultivate. »
If it's not true, not useful, or not clear, it's probably best to find another resource unless your purpose is entertainment. »
It's possible to experience pleasure from two very different sources: the misfortunes – or the well-being – of other people. »
Want to *be* somebody? Then *do* something. »
Don't fear failure. Fear not trying at all. »
It's useful to have a short list of low-thought, low-energy things you can do when you're tired or having an off day. »
Who needs the stock market when you have a gold mine between your ears? »
Often, we spend time and money on things that don't work out: unnecessary purchases, bad hires, poor investments, and wasted energy. »
Believe it or not, you can download an audio copy of one of my bestselling books – completely free. Here's how… »
Judge the success of your efforts by whether or not they help you achieve the desired objective. »
Can you really learn a complex skill - like how to fly an airplane - in 20 hours? »
How to save tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars on college tuition. »
A few of the essays that had a significant influence on my thinking in 2012. »
downsize-buzzwords »
A lot of people ask me for career advice. Here's what I tell them. »
The psychology of delivering a suit worthy of Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. »
Let’s assume you want to become a billionaire. How would you go about doing it? »
My office was almost destroyed by two separate wildfires. Here's what I learned. »
The majority of my work is public. It’s been an odd experience. »
It’s easy to have opinions about how something “should" be. What are you creating? »
There’s a strong consensus from independent sources about what it means to be an “educated" person. »
A simple, inexpensive, easy, systematized, automated way to reap the rewards of long-term investing. »
The more accurate information you have about the world, the more clearly you think. The better you manage your internal state, the better you’ll do. »
The power of exposing yourself to as many different positive stimuli as possible. »
Be bold, but don’t be stupid. »
Some things are worth more than money. »
A formal apprenticeship has many benefits for both the apprentice and the master. »
What does it take to start your own business? Less than you think. »
Are you a craftsman? »
Clearing up some of the myths and misunderstandings about the Personal MBA and traditional business schools. »
How to improve every aspect of your life – on your own terms. »
What are you putting off because you “can’t find the time"? »
Re-thinking the MBA means questioning whether or not it’s necessary at all. »
Are you interested in improving your skills, or having a document hang on your wall to impress people? »
Anything can happen at any time, so planning for scenarios is far more useful than pretending to be a seer. »
Think back to where you were this time last year. What were you doing? What did you want? What was your plan? »
Management study is a great complement to strong business skills, but it can’t replace them. »
Experiment constantly, and the “good shots" will come. »
Mike’s story about hacking higher education. »
What to do if you value the status and prestige of an Ivy League degree, but don’t want to play the admissions game and pay retail prices. »
A low-bureaucracy way to graduate with an accredited undergraduate college degree in 1 year for about $4,000. »
What would it look like if you set aside a portion of your monthly income as a personal R&D budget? »
Do you exist to serve your business, or does your work exist to represent you and your values? »
I’m amazed at how much I learned from such a seemingly frivolous past-time. »
Planning for resilience as well as performance is the hallmark of good management. »
People often ask me if I have an MBA. “No," I reply, “but I did go to business school." »
It’s important to support the work you enjoy if you want it to continue to exist. »
It’s impossible to know how much you’re capable of until you decide to push your limits. »
Social proof is a powerful force - it’s easiest to do what everyone else is doing. »
The problem with debt is that it creates huge invisible opportunity costs. »
Businesses revolve around two complementary skill sets: Implementation and Enabling. »
Something is wrong when the ideal of human productivity is acting like a machine. »
Think of all of the things you “have to" do right now. What would it look like if you took away the pressure and performance anxiety and maximized the fun? »
Specialization only works if things don’t change - and things always change. »
Managing your own project will teach you a lot about how to lead, and you don’t need anyone’s permission to get started. »
Improving your skills in many different areas can make you uniquely valuable. »
Are you willing to actually use (and stake your reputation on) what you’re selling? »
There’s a big difference between liking the idea of being/doing something and liking the actual being/doing. »
You can improve your life and work amazingly quickly by making a simple mental shift: treating everything you do as an experiment. »
How much time do you spend reading about what Richard Branson is doing vs. actually doing things? »
Education is great, but education with freedom is even better. »
There's a short list of patterns that describe how the vast majority of businesses make money. »
While profit maximization sounds like a perfectly logical goal for a profit-making entity, paradoxically, it kills perfectly good businesses over time. »
Here’s a curious fact about human beings: we have a really hard time realizing that something isn’t there. »
You can’t delegate if you don’t have someone to delegate to. »
What do you do when you realize you can’t stand an author’s personality? »
Ignore your “brand" - focus on your building your reputation instead. »
Many retail stores offer discounts. Many stores are in the process of going out of business. There’s a relationship between the two. »
Here’s a deceptively simple question: why do people work? »
What should you do in these troubled times? »
To become successful in the field you’re interested in, you don’t need an “aura of destiny." »
If you observe carefully, you can learn a lot about real-life business from watching virtual economies in action. »
Two techniques to start the year off right. »
The biggest cost of TV is the opportunity cost of time that could be put to better use. »
Eleven mental models from the realm of psychotherapy. »
My take: is there any reason why you *shouldn’t* put it on your resume? »
Aristotle's conception of numbers as abstractions from physical objects and their properties was a major advance in the human understanding of reality. »