Lifestyle Inertia Design: The 5-Component Self-Gamification System That Replaces Willpower
Every productivity system I’ve encountered makes the same fundamental error: it treats procrastination as a character flaw and…
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The Blog
Ideas on motivation, behavior & design.
Deep dives on the psychology behind why people do what they do — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework. Pick the topic that matters to you.
Invest in Your Future Self: The Anti-Carpe Diem Philosophy
I strongly dislike the movie Dead Poets Society. Not because it’s poorly made. It’s beautifully crafted. Robin Williams…
The Law of Small Numbers: Why Your Brain Fails at Statistics
I teach behavioral design for a living. I’ve spent two decades studying what makes people do things. And…
Graduated Achievement Design: Stars, Badges, and Collection Sets
Here’s the problem with most achievement systems: they exist on a single dimension. You either earned the badge…
The Plausibility Detector: How to Raise Critical Thinkers
Most parents are training their children to obey. They think they’re teaching critical thinking because they ask “Why…
The Startup Revenue Equation: How to Go from $0 to $1M
Most startup advice is either inspirational fluff (“follow your passion!”) or Silicon Valley mythology (“raise a seed round,…
Why Every Motivation Framework Is Missing Half the Picture
Every few years, a new motivation framework captures the business world’s imagination. Daniel Pink’s Drive. Ryan and Deci’s…