The Neuroscience of Procrastination

Procrastination finds its roots in our biology. It’s the result of a constant battle in our brain between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

Mental models to add to your thinking toolbox

Mental models affect how we see problems and people. Depending on how you use them, mental models can be incredibly constructive or destructive. | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

The science of curiosity: why we keep asking “why”

Children have an incredibly inquisitive mind. “Why?” they keep asking. But it seems that as adults we tend to fall into fixed and convenient cognitive patterns. | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

The false promise of the 10k hour rule

Our culture loves experts. Whether athletes, chefs, or musicians, some of the biggest celebrities are considered masters of their craft, and we admire the long hours they put into practicing over and over again the same skills so they could become second nature. In 2008, Malcolm … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

Learning How to Learn

We spend years of our lives attending school, but there are many life skills missing from the typical curriculum. Critical thinking, constructive conversations, handling money, business writing, time management, and self-care are just but a few. Another skill we don’t spend enoug … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

Build your own mental gym

At this point, most people are aware of the benefits of physical exercise. It doesn’t mean we actually act on it—$1.8 billion spent on unused gym memberships in the U.S. only—but we do know physical activity is good for us. What about mental exercise? Shouldn’t we train our brain … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

Neuralink and the Future of Knowledge Work

Yesterday evening, Elon Musk gave the first public presentation about Neuralink, a company he founded in 2017 to build brain-computer interfaces. While most of the research in that field has been focused on restoring functionality lost due to paralysis, Elon targets healthy and a … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

The Inverted Pyramid of Life

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is almost an automatic question adults ask when chatting with a kid. Maybe it’s a way to connect through a topic that speaks to us, or because it’s often endearing to hear their answers. But why do we insist so much on kids having … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

Why it's hard to balance personal and professional growth

“I’ve decided to take it a bit easy this year too, and relax more and focus on personal growth rather than career.” This is from an email I received this morning in response to my newsletter, where I mentioned that I wanted to slow down and focus on a few core aspects of my life, … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago

Burnout vs. Boreout

I work a lot. Between running a company, learning how to code, speaking at events, writing regularly, my days are filled with work. My friends sometimes comment that I work too much. But it doesn’t feel this way. I do work a lot, but not too much. I know, because I have experienc … | Continue reading


@nesslabs.com | 4 years ago