Brian Clark

You hear the quote by Linus Pauling in the graphic above all the time. And yet, the myth of instant inspiration persists. Like Isaac Newton under the apple tree, we expect that one genius idea to strike us out of the blue. Turns out that research backs up what Mr. Pauling said. Psychologist Dean Simonton’s …

Hey there, and welcome to this week’s Further! I’m back from a much-needed vacation, and eager to get this newsletter back on track. Let’s talk a bit about self control. Why is it sometimes so tough to stick with our health and fitness goals, for example, when we’re presented with an opportunity for chocolate cake? …

Hey there, thanks for reading this week’s Further! I’m going to have to keep this intro short. Our live conference is this week, and I’m emceeing as well as doing the Day 2 opening keynote. The day after, I leave for 10 days in Hawaii, which should make me happy, but is currently adding to …

Hey there, thanks for reading this week’s Further! I’m going to have to keep this intro short. Our live conference is this week, and I’m emceeing as well as doing the Day 2 opening keynote. The day after, I leave for 10 days in Hawaii, which should make me happy, but is currently adding to …

We all want to be fit and thin. But those external rewards are often not enough to get us to exercise and eat right. Working out on a regular basis is especially tough. As we’ve discussed before, those who do it actually enjoy it — they are intrinsically motivated to exercise beyond the external benefits. …

I’ve just started reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. It’s been out for a couple of years, but I guess I didn’t find reading it to be essential until now. 🙂 Here’s the essence of the concept: Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to …

I’ve just started reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. It’s been out for a couple of years, but I guess I didn’t find reading it to be essential until now. 🙂 Here’s the essence of the concept: Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to …

You likely know as a loyal Further reader (you are, right?) that we use what are called heuristics to take mental shortcuts when making decisions. While these shortcuts are essential to functioning in the information-barrage we call modern life, understanding when they’re happening and deciding not to take the shortcut is one important key to …

You can’t escape hearing about how bad sugar is for you. And it seems the barrage of bad press for the substance came out of nowhere. The tipping point seemed to be the FDA’s new labelling requirements that add a separate line showing how much sugar has been added to each food as a percentage …

Last week was a mess … the kids went back to school, my wife had foot surgery, and I had to handle an office move — all on the same day. The result? No Further last week — sorry about that! This week I’d like to lead off with a great piece from Matthew Inman, …

Business had me in Vancouver this week, but I made sure to arrive a bit early to explore the city. It’s an amazing place, especially with the sunny weather this time of year. And I’m convinced that Canadians are the coolest people on the planet. I did make a point of checking out places that …

What makes for an irresistible leader? Someone like Richard Branson comes to mind. He’s such a dynamic, likable personality that his main role at Virgin is, well … being Richard Branson. On the other hand, we’ve got a certain presidential candidate who doesn’t seem to understand that his appeal to a relatively small group of …