Intermediate path

How we learn

Tim Urban, Agnes Callard, Cedric Chin, Simon Sarris and Andy Matuschak on procrastination, advice, expertise and why reading alone rarely teaches. Shortest first. You'll practice explanatory prose that moves from a familiar experience to a precise claim.

Start the path

5 essays

Essays in this path

  1. Step 1

    Why Procrastinators Procrastinate

    by Tim Urban

    Urban explains chronic procrastination through cartoon characters living in the procrastinator's brain, including the Instant Gratification Monkey and the Panic Monster.

    Intermediate · Short

  2. Step 2

    Against Advice

    by Agnes Callard

    Agnes Callard explains why advice about becoming a writer or philosopher sounds empty, distinguishing it from instructions and coaching.

    Intermediate · Short

  3. Step 3

    The Mental Model Fallacy

    by Cedric Chin

    Cedric Chin argues that reading summaries of mental models cannot replace practice, because the most valuable expertise is tacit knowledge.

    Intermediate · Medium

  4. Step 4

    School is Not Enough

    by Simon Sarris

    Learning is a consequence of doing

    Intermediate · Medium

  5. Step 5

    Why books don’t work

    by Andy Matuschak

    Andy Matuschak argues that non-fiction books rest on a flawed model of how people learn, and proposes designing new mediums instead.

    Intermediate · Long