The 8-hour work day was not ordained from above for all time. It was dreamed up by humans. It doesn't make sense for every person, every job, or every organization. We can be as productive and creative in 6 focused hours as in 8 unfocused hours.

The true leader in a group is rarely the person who talks the most. It's usually the person who listens best. Listening is more than hearing what’s said. It’s noticing and surfacing what isn’t said. Inviting dissenting views and amplifying quiet voices are acts of leadership.

Too many mediocre men talk over capable women. Study of problem-solving teams: Men dominate the conversation, taking 50% more turns and saying 69% more than women. Men with low skill speak more than women with high skill. It's long past time to value competence over confidence.

It's time to remove laptops from classrooms. 24 experiments: Students learn more and get better grades after taking notes by hand than typing. It's not just because they're less distracted—writing enables deeper processing and more images. The pen is mightier than the keyboard.

Bingeing TikTok reels may be hazardous to your well-being. 71 studies, >98k people: The more short-form videos teens and adults watched, the more they struggled with attention, self-control, and stress and anxiety. Read a book. Watch a movie. Long live longform.

Weak leaders insist that they're the best. They seek attention to feed their egos, and measure success by how many followers they attract. Strong leaders ask how they can get better. They seek feedback to fuel their growth, and gauge success by how many lives they improve.

The more girls in a class, the merrier. Data on 87k students: In cohorts with more girls, boys and girls have better mental health. More female peers predicts closer friendships for boys—and better body image & STEM grades for girls. Girls build cultures of competence and care.

Cursing is rarely a symbol of low class. It's often a mark of high authenticity. Evidence: Swearing predicts higher rates of honesty and integrity. It signals a willingness to prize candor over courtesy. A little profanity can show that you're being real and you do give a damn.

If you reach a goal by compromising your values, you haven’t succeeded. If you fall short of a goal by upholding your values, you haven’t failed. The highest form of accomplishment is standing by your principles when they’re tested.

When you follow a leader, consider what would lead you to withdraw your support. If the answer is nothing, your integrity is in jeopardy. Our highest loyalty belongs to principles, not people. No leader deserves unconditional love. Commitment is earned through character.

When you get defensive about feedback, you fail twice. You fail to learn today, and you fail to encourage people to keep teaching you tomorrow. If you can't handle the truth, people stop telling you the truth. A key to growth is showing that you're coachable.

We spend too much time arguing like we're right—and too little time listening like we're wrong. Diatribes don't change minds. Productive disagreement depends on showing respect, curiosity, and humility. The most compelling teachers are the ones who are most eager to learn.

A mark of emotional intelligence is prioritizing your values over your moods. Immature people are victims of their feelings. Their choices are governed by fleeting sensations. Mature people take responsibility for their reactions. Their choices are guided by lasting principles.

Being kind boosts mental health more than seeking joy. Evidence: Doing 3 random acts of kindness a week is enough to reduce depression, anxiety & loneliness. It's more beneficial than doing nice things for yourself. Self-care feels good, but generosity builds lasting bonds.

The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.

Intelligence depends on more than cognitive horsepower. It requires cognitive flexibility. The faster the world evolves, the greater the cost of rigidity. Stubbornness is a path to getting trapped in the past. The future belongs to those with the courage to change their minds.

The love of reading is an endangered species. Just 16% of Americans do regular leisure reading—down from 28% in 2003. Only 41% of UK parents read daily to their toddlers—down from 64% in 2012. Books aren't merely a source of flow. They're a gateway to empathy and lifelong learning.

In unhealthy relationships, people walk on eggshells to avoid conflict. They tell you what you want to hear. In healthy relationships, people have the courage to address conflict. They tell you what you need to hear. Silence protects fragile ties. Candor strengthens real bonds.

Feeling embarrassed by your past work is not a sign of incompetence. It’s a mark of growth. Regretting your prior decisions doesn't reflect poor judgment. It reveals new insight. Cringing at your old opinions doesn't display ignorance. It demonstrates an open mind.

Ultracrepidarian, n. A person who offers opinions, critiques, and advice on issues beyond their expertise. See also: every internet comment section ever

Friendliness isn't always a sign of trustworthiness. Warmth is easy to fake. The foundations of trust are reliability and integrity. What counts isn't courtesy in the moment—it's keeping commitments over time. The best way to inspire confidence is to consistently walk our talk.

People who cheat on their spouses are more likely to cheat at work, too. Evidence: Marital infidelity predicts 2-3x greater odds of professional misconduct among CEOs, financial advisors, and police officers. Integrity is not a 9-5 job. Character counts in every part of life.

Resilience is not resistance to suffering. It’s the capacity to bend without breaking. Strength doesn’t come from ignoring pain. It stems from knowing that your past self has hurt and your future self will heal. Fortitude is the presence of resolve, not the absence of hardship.

Too many people recognize their opinions as feelings, but mistake their beliefs for facts. Closed minds hold truths to be self-evident. Open minds are willing to question even strongly held views. Lifelong learning requires the courage to challenge our own convictions.

The best way to gauge others’ values isn’t to ask them directly. It’s to find out who they respect. Shallow people are impressed by superficiality. They look up to beauty, fame, money, and power. Deep people are drawn to substance. They admire wisdom, kindness, humility, and integrity.

Dads are spending 3-4x as much time with their kids as their dads did with them. When father figures are engaged, kids show better cognitive development, boys have fewer behavioral problems, and girls have fewer emotional problems. Every child deserves strong parental bonds.

Good books immerse you in a new world. Great books introduce you to a new worldview. Good books are page-turners—they're meant to be devoured. Great books are corner-folders—they're made to be savored. Good books keep you engaged. Great books leave you changed.

A mark of wisdom is being quick to change your opinions but slow to change your principles. It takes openness to update your views. It takes integrity to uphold your values. A key to growth is raising your understanding without lowering your standards.

Can we all agree that presidents shouldn’t have the power to pardon people convicted of crimes that involve… 1) Violence 2) Harm to children 3) Large sums of money Asking for both parties

The most important part of an apology is not saying sorry. It's taking responsibility for what you did wrong and taking action to make it right. Admitting mistakes doesn’t mean you're a bad person. It's an effort to be a better person—and a display of care for another person. link.chtbl.com/RTAdam

Loyalty should never come at the expense of integrity. Anyone who asks you to violate your values doesn’t deserve your allegiance. Respecting your boundaries is a foundation of trust. The people worthy of commitment expect you to stand by your principles, not conform to theirs.

We pay too much attention to strong opinions—and too little to deep insight and broad perspectives. Pontificating is not a sign of credibility. Hot takes are not a substitute for being well-informed. Expertise is how much you know. Wisdom is knowing how much you have to learn.

Public service announcement for parents, managers, teachers, coaches: you can’t judge effort by results. Inconsistent performance doesn’t mean people aren’t trying their best. It often means they’re doing their best in the face of turbulence. In humans, variability is a feature, not a bug.

Resumes shouldn't just showcase our success. They should feature our struggles too. No one's life is a highlight reel. Character isn't visible in our triumphs alone—it's revealed by the hardships we endure and the challenges we conquer. Here’s my lowlight reel. What's on yours?

It’s a mistake to outsource most writing to AI. Even if the output is accurate and engaging, something valuable is lost in the process. Jotting down intuitions and spelling out hunches is how we develop and refine our ideas. Writing is where we do our best thinking.

Intelligence isn’t a substitute for knowledge. Being smart doesn’t mean you’ve taken the time to be informed. Knowledge isn’t a substitute for wisdom. Being informed doesn’t mean you’ve developed good judgment. Good judgment requires the humility to know what you don’t know.

Elon Musk has succeeded in spite of the way he treats others, not because of it. Belittling is not a leadership strategy—it reflects a lack of self-control. Demeaning doesn't get results—it thwarts productivity. Disrespect for the status quo can be a virtue. Disrespect for people is a vice.

We shouldn’t ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. It encourages them to define themselves in terms of work. Who we become is not a question of career—it’s a matter of character. The highest aspiration is to be a person of generosity, integrity, humility, curiosity, and wisdom.

A symbol of arrogance is assuming that anyone who disagrees with you is ignorant. Humility is more than knowing the limits of your knowledge. It’s also about respecting others' knowledge. Dissenters aren't necessarily uninformed. Differing views often stem from diverging values.

There's no such thing as a self-made man or woman. No one succeeds without support. "I did it on my own" is a sign of insecurity and entitlement. Acknowledging help is a mark of confidence and humility. Giving credit to others doesn't undermine you. It elevates them.

A sign of wisdom is choosing not to believe everything you think. A mark of emotional intelligence is choosing not to internalize everything you feel. Thoughts and emotions are possibilities to ponder, not facts to accept. We don’t always invite them in, but we decide whether they deserve to stay.

Emotion regulation is not about controlling what you feel. It's about choosing how you respond. Wise people don't suppress emotion. They find constructive ways to express it. Intense feelings don't always demand immediate reactions. They often benefit from deep reflection.

When people don't stand up to bad leadership, it's rarely because they don't care. It's often that they feel powerless. Learned helplessness is the pattern of giving up when we learn that events in our lives are beyond our control. The answer isn't to accept defeat. It's to find sources of power.

Grief is not a purely negative emotion. Over time, sadness is joined by love and gratitude. The purpose of grief is not to cause pain. It's to keep memories of loved ones alive and remind us to make the most of our time. Moving forward is not about erasing sorrow. It's about gaining perspective.

In hard times, people don't want to be told to look on the bright side. They want to know you're on their side. Even if you can't help them feel better, you can always help them feel seen. The best way to support others is not to cheer them up. It's to show up.

63 studies: women who assert their ideas, make direct requests, and advocate for themselves are liked less. They're also less likely to get hired—and it hasn't improved over time. When will we stop punishing women for violating outdated gender stereotypes?

The best way to improve your writing is not always to write more. It's often to reread more. Instead of just enjoying the content, study the form. Pay attention to how your favorite authors set up ideas, structure paragraphs, and shape sentences. Role models elevate art.

You're entitled to your own opinions in your head. But if you choose to express them out loud, it's your responsibility to: (1) Ground them in logic and facts (2) Explain your reasoning to others (3) Change them when better evidence emerges

"I'm just being honest" is a poor excuse for being rude. Candor is being forthcoming in what you say. Respect is being considerate in how you say it. Being direct with the content of your feedback doesn't prevent you from being thoughtful about the best way to deliver it.

You shouldn’t finish every book you start. Abandoning a book is not an admission of failure—it’s a sign of wisdom. You’ve decided to let go of sunk costs. The purpose of reading is to be entertained and informed. If a book doesn't bring joy or insight, it’s time to move on.