Essays

My motto is: “Write every day.”

Most of my essays are about business, education, and what it means to be a citizen of the Internet. These essays are a record of my intellectual quest to make sense of the world. They’re the diary of my contemplative life. 

I write two kinds of essays: short-form and long-form.

If you’re new here, start with the short-form essays and work your way up to the long-form ones. 

Latest essay

Coolest Things I Learned in 2020

This is a collection of the most popular ideas I shared in 2020.

Start here with two of my favorite long-form and short-form reads.

Peter Thiel’s Religion

“I am the Lord your God.” — 1st Commandment

Practice Analytically, Perform Intuitively

There’s a famous saying in golf: “Drive for show, putt for dough.”

Annual Review 2020

Writing this Annual Review, I realize that I’m incredibly fortunate.

After Minimalism

It’s time for us to move beyond minimalism. If we want a dynamic world, we should splash our buildings with enthusiastic colors, bold patterns, and visions of a better tomorrow.

How I Produce a Podcast

Choosing to learn in public is the best career decision I’ve ever made.

Expression is Compression

Experiences become shareable creations the way tree sap becomes maple syrup.

Mid-Year Review

This year has brought so many unexpected changes that I needed to gather my thoughts and reflect on the ways my life has transformed.

Don’t Kill Time

If you’re okay with killing time, it’s not scarce enough.

10 Year Vision: Write of Passage

The school I want to build helps people start writing, build an online audience, and start a company in their niche. They’ll graduate once they have a profitable business.

Narrative-Market-Fit

Use narrative-market fit to judge the merit of a news story.

The Five Finger Trigger

Start your business once you find five people who would purchase your product.

50 Ideas That Changed My Life

Here are the 50 ideas that changed my life.

Teaching Like a State

No teacher had a bigger impact on me than Miles Chen.

Don’t Go to College This Fall

College students: Don’t go to school this fall. Use your time to start an online business.