Educational “solutions” are often hopelessly complex. This flies in the face of a problem-solving principle you’re probably familiar with: Occam’s razor, or “the simplest solution is the best one.” I don’t mean to be a whiner when I say hopelessly. I just mean that if our objective in the United States is to improve long-term […]
simplify
Asking the Right Question: What’s It For?
When I was the ticking time bomb teacher — the one doing All The Things, reenacting the Hollywood-esque Savior Teacher storyline, rushing like a runaway train toward the inevitable moment when I’d need to quit — one of my problems, maybe my biggest one, was that I wasn’t asking the right questions. My sights were […]
What Would This Look Like If It Were Simple?
In the introduction to Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World, author Tim Ferriss describes a time in his life when, in a fit of overwhelm, he asked himself a clarifying question: “What would this look like if it were easy?” He goes on, What would this look like if […]
The Folly (and Difficulty) of Yes-itis
At the end of this past school year, I reaped the sour fruits of saying yes to too much during the preceding few months. Yes-itis is not a noble condition, despite what 25-year-old Dave Stuart might tell you. Saying yes to too much is the epitome of foolishness; it consigns us to survival mode, where […]
This Summer, Achieve Something You Care About, and WOOP to Get Started
This post is a little different because it’s a video that I made for you while in my car in a parking lot. It’s sort of a weird idea, but here’s the thing: I’ve had the idea for this article in my brain for a few weeks, but haven’t had the time to sit down […]