AI can now write, draw, compose, summarize, and brainstorm.

So what’s left for us?

Earlier this month, I delivered a commencement speech at one of America’s top art and design colleges that offered an answer: taste.

Taste — knowing what’s good, what’s not, and why — is becoming a defining skill of the AI age.

In the short speech, I reveal:

• The 3 hidden rules of good taste,

• Why AI needs creatives more than creatives need AI,

• The life lesson I learned in childhood from two plates of mashed potatoes.

Watch by clicking below. ⬇️

PINK RECOMMENDS: The week’s top picks 📌

A few things worth your time this week.

🗞️ READ: 5 newsletters that earn their place in my inbox

It’s been a while since I’ve recommended newsletters. Here are five I read regularly — alongside perennial favorites like Next Draft, Recommendo, and 1440:

• Six at 6 on Sunday by Billy Oppenheimer - A deeply researched and elegantly written collection of stories and insights about high performance.

• Noahpinion by Noah Smith — Eclectic, well-informed takes on contemporary affairs without the usual ideological fog.

• Perfect Sentences by Ingrid Burrington — Every Sunday Burrington shares the best sentences she read the prior week.

• Nothing for the Group by Lauren Halvorsen — A dramaturg’s super smart weekly theater roundup.

• Yahoo Sports AM by Kendall Baker — You don’t have to be a sports fan to like this one (but it helps if you enjoy awesome video highlights.)

🚗💨 TRY: This might be the cheapest summer travel you’ll find

Feeling a twinge of wanderlust but not eager to brave airport security? Try Drive & Listen, a weirdly compelling site that lets you cruise through Mumbai, Hamburg, and dozens of other cities from your desk. You can even tune into a local radio station while you roll through the streets, as I did during a recent jaunt through Istanbul.

📊 COUNT: What immigrants contribute

Immigration debates generate lots of heat and little light. So this report from the Cato Institute (hardly a haven for wokeness) is worth your attention. Its finding: immigrants generate more tax revenue than the average US-born American. They’re also more likely to work and less likely to receive public benefits. Not exactly the story we usually hear. (Full study)

📺 WATCH: The day I discovered why Mel Robbins is so huge

Mel Robbins is a global phenomenon — and after visiting her Boston studio a few months ago, I finally understand why. Yes, the interview was fun, and you can watch it below. But the real revelation was that Mel and her team were the most prepared, most engaged, and most generous professionals I’ve ever encountered at any media outlet — a true model of excellence. I left wanting to raise my own game.

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: What can you do to improve your taste?

What’s in a name? For respondents to our previous Pink Poll, pretty much everything, as the numbers below confirm.

You know how to earn money. But do you know how to spend it?

In our newest YouTube video, I share five research-backed questions—from scholars like Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton—to help you spend your spondulicks in ways that actually improve your life. Before you buy almost anything, run it through this filter:

• Does this buy me time—or steal it?

• Is this a story—or just a thing?

• Will this bring me closer to people?

• Can I make it a treat, not a routine?

• Can I pay now and enjoy later?

If your purchase gets three yeses, you’re probably making a smart move. If not . . . beware.

I walk through all five (with examples) in this short video. ⬇️

PINK RECOMMENDS: The week’s top picks 📌

A few things worth your time this week.

📚 READ: How to answer the ultimate question

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, is back with his first book in twelve years — and this one hit me like a ton of bricks. What to Make of Life (Amazon | BN.com | Bookshop | Public library) examines people who — through choice or circumstance — found themselves responding to a serious life inflection point. Among the book’s most heartening conclusions: Lots of high achievers produce their greatest achievements late in their careers.

📊 COUNT: What do Americans consider immoral?

Pew Research recently asked a large sample of Americans about what’s right and what’s wrong. The responses are fascinating and the partisan divide is wide.

📚 READ SOME MORE: How constraints make us better

David Epstein is one of my favorite writers. I loved both The Sports Gene and Range. His new book, out today, is just as good. Inside the Box (Amazon | BN | Bookshop | Public library) argues that the secret to creativity isn’t wild freedom, but tight constraints. It’s already reshaped how I approach several projects.

📺 WATCH: 16 things everyone should know how to do

One of our most popular videos of 2026 explores the stuff that every adult should know how to do — including:

• Ask good questions

• Be a decent house guest

• Open a bottle of wine

• Understand three key financial concepts

• Apologize properly

For the complete rundown — and exclusive footage of me fixing a toilet — click the image below. ⬇️

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: What do you wish you knew how to do?

***

The results of our previous Pink Poll suggest that in the age of AI, intellectual humility — curiosity combined with wise judgment — may be the killer app:

You’ve just been taught the wrong definition of “work.”

In a new video, I explain why insight rarely arrives when you’re trying to be brilliant—and what’s really happening inside your brain when ideas show up in the shower, on a walk, or right before sleep.

Two modes. One mistake. Three fixes you can use this week.

Watch it below ⬇️

At the end of the video, I sit down with David Epstein (author of Range and the soon-to-be-released Inside the Box) —who tells a story about a Nobel Prize winner’s unconventional creative habit. It stuck with me.

Also, don’t miss David’s companion video, where we flip the script and talk about boredom as a hidden driver of innovation.

If you’ve ever felt like your brain is working against you, these two videos might be the reframe you need.

When AI can do everything, what exactly will humans be good for?

That’s the question of the moment — and I try to answer it in our new video.

I walk through six abilities that become more valuable — not less — in the age of AI:

• Asking better questions
• Developing good taste
• Iterating relentlessly
• Composing pieces into something meaningful
• Allocating human and machine talent
• Acting with integrity

The video builds on ideas I began exploring twenty years ago in A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. I’m still refining this framework, so I’d love to hear your reactions.

Watch by clicking the image below. ⬇️

PINK RECOMMENDS: The week’s top picks 📌

A few things this week that play with the boundary between human creativity and machine output:

📝 QUIZ: Who’s a better writer — AI or humans?

The New York Times has published an engaging 5-question quiz that offers two passages — one written by AI, the other by a person. You decide which you prefer.

📬 TRY: Peek inside anyone’s inbox

AI is spawning an array of new artistic experiments including Unread.ooo, a “fictional email experience.” Just plug in a famous literary character — Huckleberry Finn, Juliet, Heathcliff — and you can see that person’s inbox.

🔖 READ: Mark Twain’s classic reimagined

Yeah, AI is a big deal. But human creativity still has some tricks left. Case in point: James, the award-winning novel by Percival Everett that retells The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from enslaved Jim’s perspective. I’m late to the party, but it’s the best novel I’ve read in a long while.

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: Which skill will matter most over the next decade?

The results of our last Pink Poll capture the anxieties of the age of AI.

Subscribe now

We’re only 57 days into 2026 — and already the year feels a doozy.

Technology is accelerating. Institutions are wobbling. And many of us are quietly wondering: What now?

To cut through the noise, I made a new 12-minute YouTube video summarizing 11 books to help you find your footing in an unsteady world.

Among entries:

• Adam Moss shows how great work actually gets made.

• Teresa Amabile explains why small wins beat grand gestures.

• Kevin Kelly offers advice you’ll wish someone had given you at 25.

Watch by clicking the image below. ⬇️

PINK RECOMMENDS: The week’s top picks 📌

🌱 ATTEND: What should you do with the rest of your life?

If you’re over 40, you’ve asked yourself: What should I do with the rest of my life? I’ve teamed up with Chip Conley to create a four-day workshop at the Modern Elder Academy in Santa Fe to tackle that question head-on.

Through provocative questions, hands-on exercises, and small-group discussions, we’ll help you clarify what matters now — and design what comes next. This is not a casual retreat. It requires time, money, and vulnerability. The program is customized. And we’re keeping the group intentionally small. But if you’re ready to approach your next chapter deliberately, take a look.

🗣️ TRY: A dictation tool that actually works

I’ve begun using Wispr Flow for speech-to-text — and it’s the first tool that gets punctuation, formatting, and filler words right without coaching. It’s been great for emails, scripts, even articles. Start with the free version.

📊 COUNT: The rise and fall of college majors

This interactive chart, which shows popularity of college majors over the past 50 years, is worth a click. Business has held its place at the top for half a century. The big decliners: Humanities (of course). The big gainers: Health professions, computer science (for now), and “parks, recreation, fitness, and kinesiology.” The real question: Are students chasing opportunity — or following momentum?

🎭 LISTEN: Theater for the ear

Here’s a prediction: The next frontier in audio won’t be more podcasts. It’ll be theater without a stage. Audible is taking a lead on this front with an array of classic and contemporary plays. My favorite recent listen is Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside, starring Mary-Louise Parker.

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: If you had to reinvent your work in the next 5 years, what would scare you most?

The results of our last Pink Poll hit close to home. I’ve been asking myself: Where am I playing it safe? And what am I pretending not to notice?

Subscribe now

After two years using AI to improve my work, I recently turned its superpowers on myself.

With hundreds of our chats offering a window into my soul, I asked ChatGPT some uncomfortable questions:

• What do you know about me that I don’t know about myself?

• Where am I playing small?

• What lies do I tell myself to avoid uncomfortable truths?

We recorded it all in real time — my most soul-baring YouTube video yet.

(Here’s a free PDF of the 11 prompts I used.)

To watch ChatGPT play coach, therapist, and butt-kicker, click the image below ⬇️

PINK RECOMMENDS: The week’s top picks 📌

📝 READ: An essential newsletter about the world of books

Last week, the Washington Post fired 300 journalists, including Ron Charles, the Post’s longtime book critic and one of my favorite writers. The good news: Ron now has a Substack newsletter. Bookworms of the world, subscribe!

📺 WATCH: Competitions that aren’t in the Olympics, but should be

In honor of Milano Cortina 2026, we’re rolling out a new 60-second format: Olympic Podium. Bronze, silver, and gold medals for everything from pizza toppings to things that should be illegal. First up: Competitions that should be in the Olympics.

🎧 LISTEN: Best case scenarios

Kevin Kelly is among the wisest, most creative people I know — one of the minds behind Wired Magazine, The Whole Earth Review, the WELL, Recommendo, Cool Tools, and more. So, when he told me he wanted to combat cynicism with a podcast called “Best Case Scenarios,” I said, “Go for it!” And when he asked whether I’d like to play along — essentially to be Gilligan to his Skipper — I said, “Hell, yes.” You can find the first few episodes — about optimistic scenarios for energy, transportation, and brain science here.

🚀 TRY: Why you might need a “fart walk”

Still digesting your Super Bowl chicken wings? It might be time for a “fart walk.” Both Food & Wine magazine and Harvard gastroenterologist Trisha Pasricha swear by it.

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: If you were being brutally honest, what would you change first?

I’ve been introspecting. Now it’s your turn.

The results of last edition’s poll show that you and I are kindred spirits. We spend way too much time processing email and over-polishing work. (Wait, does “over-polishing” need a hyphen?)

Subscribe now

By mid-February, most New Year’s plans quietly disappear.

Not because people are lazy—but because their plans were never concrete.

That’s why I put together a 26-minute reset for 2026.

I walk through 20 actionable ideas for building better habits, restructuring your time, and sustaining motivation—plus a free workbook to help you apply the concepts immediately.

Just click below ⬇️

PINK RECOMMENDS: The week’s top picks 📌

🧩 PLAY: A two-minute brain workout

If you’re a fan of Jeopardy — or were one of those kids who read encyclopedias — you’ll dig Revealed, a free daily game from Britannica. Each puzzle hides key terms from a real encyclopedia entry, and your job is to figure out what it’s describing using as few clues as possible. It’s quick, oddly satisfying—and a great workout for your inference skills.

📊 CHART: Why it pays to be a late bloomer

Feel like you’re behind because you didn’t specialize early? A December paper in the journal Science offers some quiet reassurance. In fields as diverse as science, music, and sports, early specialization delivers an initial advantage. But over time, people who explore broadly—and combine multiple skills—tend to outperform specialists. The chart below makes that pattern clear.

👓 READ: Three smart articles worth your time

1. Self-driving cars are a public health breakthrough. (NY Times)

2. Elite colleges have an extra-time-on-tests problem. (Atlantic)

3. Today is January 6, one of the most significant days in recent U.S. history. We still haven’t fully reckoned with the consequences. (NY Times)

📺 WATCH: Give me 11 minutes and I’ll make you dangerously persuasive

This short video lays out seven science-backed ways to influence others—without manipulation or sleaze. Handy for pitches, tough conversations, or getting buy-in from skeptics.

Watch it here ⬇️

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: What are you working very hard on that might not actually matter?

The question I’m asking you is one I’m also asking myself.

Our previous Pink Poll asked for your favorite piece of advice. You responded . . . politely.

‘Tis the season for “best of” lists.

Which is why I created a “worst of” list.

In our newest YouTube video, I reveal the 5 worst pieces of advice that everyone seems to get throughout their lives:

1. You can be anything you want to be.

2. Make a plan and follow it.

3. Follow your passion.

4. Always be positive.

5. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

The video explains why this advice is so dangerous — and what you should do instead. Watch by clicking the image below.

PINK RECOMMENDS: This week’s top picks 📌

📝 TRY: The lamest party ever!

If you dread holiday parties, consider this alternative: Admin Night. Writer Chris Colin gathers friends and uncorks some wine. Then they plow through the administrative tasks they’ve been putting off — canceling a streaming service, rolling over a 401k, and so on. “It turns our private drudgery into communal solidarity,” he says.

📊 COUNT: The 100 decisions people dread the most

A Swiss study recently investigated which life choices scare us most. Work dominates the top tier: taking a new job, quitting without an alternative job, and going out on your own. The full list is below.

📖 READ: Whose cup are you filling?

Derek Thompson’s short essay draws a wise distinction between work that drains us and work that deepens us. The question he asks himself—Whose cup are you filling?—can test whether your days match your values.

▶️ WATCH: 5 books that will make you wiser

One of the most-watched shorts on our YouTube channel is an 80-second rundown of the 5 books everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: What’s your best advice?

Some advice is worth taking seriously. But which is best? Cast your vote in this week’s Pink Poll.

Our previous Pink Poll asked you to predict which skills will be most valuable in a world of artificial intelligence. A plurality chose . . . empathy.

Brain-training apps? Overpriced supplements? Skip them. Science has uncovered eight far better ways to learn faster — and I break them down in a new video, including:

• A Nobel-winning physicist’s favorite trick

• Why ugly fonts make you think better

• The bizarre brain benefit of chewing gum

Watch here or by clicking the image below.

PINK RECOMMENDS: This week’s top picks 📌💡🔍

👀 LOOK: 25 magazine covers to stir your soul

There’s something about a great magazine cover that can encapsulate a moment or an idea like nothing else. For proof of this power, check out the New York Times’s list of the 25 most influential magazine covers of all time.

✏️ TRY: How to ask for an intro without looking like a dope

Auren Hoffman’s guide to asking for intros will save you from your next bungled attempt.

▶️ WATCH: Sometimes the cure is hiding in plain sight

If you need a jolt of optimism, watch Dr. David Fajgenbaum’s remarkable TED Talk. While in medical school and close to death, David discovered a remedy for his own rare disease. He later founded Every Cure, which uses AI to repurpose existing drugs for diseases once deemed untreatable.

🗞️ READ: Who’s willing to stand up to autocrats at home and abroad?

What’s the difference between a coward and a chickenshit? In this moment of autocratic creep, The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer argues the distinction matters.

🗳️ THE PINK POLL: What does it mean to be human in a world of artificial intelligence?

This newsletter always shares what I think. Now I want to know what you think. Introducing a something new: The Pink Poll. Cast your vote below. I’ll reveal the results next time.

After reading lots (and lots and lots) of productivity books over the last three decades, it finally hit me: they all boil down to the same 6 principles.

So, I shot a video that distills all these books to 6 sentences — just 29 words in all. (Example: Do less ruthlessly.) Plus I collected the key takeaways.

Save yourself 30 years of reading by watching here:

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. This week’s top picks 📌💡

👥 GO: Want to hang out with Brené Brown and me?

Brené Brown has a new book, and that’s reason enough to party. So, if you’re in Washington, DC, on September 27, join me in celebrating the launch of her latest, Strong Ground. I’ll be talking with Brené about her fresh batch of ideas — and how we can lead and learn effectively in tempestuous times.

Saturday, Sept 27 at 7:30pm | Sixth & I | Washington DC

Seats are limited — join us in DC.

🎧 LISTEN: Is your life all work — and no playlists?

You’ve watched the video on productivity. Now get to work! But if your concentration needs a boost, Atlassian has assembled some Spotify playlists, backed by science, to help you focus.

📊 COUNT: Has your dog become your soulmate?

Researchers at the University of North Carolina and Ohio State University recently published three studies concluding “that modern dogs now occupy roles historically reserved for close human relationships and often receive greater moral concern than people.” For example, as U.S. birthrates have declined, spending on pets has increased at roughly the same rate. Classic correlation vs. causation caveat applies. But still—woof! (Via Steve Stewart-Williams’s newsletter)

👀 LOOK: What shapes do you see here?

Look at the image below. Do you see rectangles or circles? That depends on where you grew up. A new study finds that people in the U.S. and U.K.—surrounded by boxy buildings—almost always see rectangles in the Coffer illusion. But members of Namibia’s Himba culture, who live in round huts, usually see circles first. Our environments literally shape what we see.

3. FINAL THOUGHTS: 5 books to make you wiser. 🎓 📖

If 29 words aren’t enough, this YouTube Short shares 5 books that will stretch your perspective. Click the image below to watch.

What you read matters. When you read it can matter even more.

The right book at the right time doesn’t just inform. It transforms. It can permanently reshape your perspective, sharpen your decisions, and deepen your relationships.

So, in time for back-to-school week, we just released a new video that reveals — and summarizes — the 13 books everyone should read before they turn 30. Among them:

• Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury

• Range by David Epstein

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

• Animal Farm by George Orwell

• The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff

• You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy

Share the video with a youngish person in your life. And if you’re over 30, and missed any of these books the first time around, pick one up this week.

Remember the old proverb: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is today.

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. This week’s top picks

🎧 LISTEN: How to AI-Proof Your Job

How will artificial intelligence affect our work? Most predictions swing between the apocalyptic (hundreds of millions of unemployed people roaming a charred landscape!) and the utopian (3-hour workweeks comprised of thinking great thoughts and drinking fine wine!) For a more sensible take on AI’s impact on employment and skills, check out this interview with Harvard economist David Deming on the Solutions podcast. It’s one of the smartest discussions of this topic I’ve heard.

🎬 WATCH: Democracy, Education, and Saying Goodbye

In 2023, Robert Reich — the former U.S. Labor Secretary and my old boss — retired after 40 years of teaching. Now a new documentary chronicles his final semester. The Last Class is a moving, and often quite funny, examination of the purpose of education, the state of democracy, and the arc of a life. Find a screening near you. And look for Bob’s new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America.

📊 COUNT: Want more joy? Do things with others.

Here’s some jarring news for us solitude-seeking introverts. A new paper from Dunigan Folk and Elizabeth Dunn at the University of British Columbia examined which activities are more satisfying done alone and which are more satisfying done with others. The verdict? Participants rated every single daily activity — cleaning the house, reading, grocery shopping, working out — more enjoyable when done with others. Every damn one! Grab a friend, then squint at the chart below to see the full results.

3. FINAL THOUGHTS: 7 ways to get more out of what you read 📘🧩🔍

Back to reading for our final item . . .

How you read also matters.

That’s the idea animating another video, which offers a bushel of actionable techniques to help you:

• Retain more of what you read

• Know when to quit a book

• Connect what you’re reading now to what you’ve already read

• Decide which books to ignore and which to read again.

Hit play on the 9-minute video by clicking the image below.

Want to remember more of what you read?

Check out our newest video, which reveals the strategies I’ve collected over the years.

In 9 minutes, you’ll learn:

• My 3-question technique for summarizing nonfiction books;

• Why you should destroy your books instead of treating them like sacred objects;

• Why “speed reading” is a total scam;

• My simple formula for deciding when to quit a book.

You can watch the video by clicking the image below.

📌 2. PINK RECOMMENDS. Free audiobook • Shoe story • Seggs education • Make Peter Drucker your career coach 📌

🎧 LISTEN: Free audiobook, anybody? My friends at the National Book Foundation will give you one for completing any activity in their Summer Reading Adventure. Just read a book outdoors or visit a Little Free Library or anything else on the list. Then tell them about it — and await your free audiobook from Libro.fm. Details

👟 READ: I’m late to this one, folks. But I’m really enjoying Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s 2016 memoir about creating the colossus that became Nike. Knight is unusually candid about his own weaknesses and anxieties. And the story of his early days — a company called Blue Ribbon that he launched in his Oregon childhood bedroom at time when running was still an oddball hobby — is fascinating. (Amazon | BN.com | Bookshop | Public library)

🗣️ READ (AND WATCH): Ever wonder why people online say "seggs" instead of "sex" or "unalive" instead of "kill"? Algospeak has the answers. Harvard-trained linguist Adam Aleksic breaks down how algorithms are altering the way we speak and the words we use. The book grew out of his well-researched Etymology Nerd TikTok feed, which is also excellent. (Amazon | BN.com | Bookshop | Public library)

🧭 TRY: Peter Drucker's management frameworks "are absolutely lethal as AI prompts," says EQ4C. So they’ve built a tool that turns the legendary consultant's classic questions into prompts that transform your LLM into a personal business coach. Peak management wisdom meets peak AI.

3. FINAL THOUGHTS: 40 Harsh Lessons I Wish I Knew 40 Years Ago

Our fastest-growing video of the year, which debuted a few weeks ago, offers 40 life lessons that I learned the hard way. The lessons that seem to be resonating most, based on about 1,000 comments, are:

• Don’t work with jerks. (No exceptions.)

• Raw talent is overrated, persistence is underrated.

• Collaborators and mentors are great. But in the end, it’s on you.

Which lessons speak to you? What am I missing? To hear all 40 lessons that took me decades to learn, click the image below.

Today is my birthday. But instead of partying or pouting, I made a video.

In 12 brisk minutes, l reveal 40 harsh truths about work, love, and life — most learned the hard way.

Among them:

• Some things that are not your fault are your responsibility.

• Build a body of work, not a resume.

• Acting beats planning.

• You’re not the main character in other people’s lives.

• Happiness is the byproduct, not the goal.

You can watch the video (and thereby wish me a Happy Birthday!) by clicking the image below:

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. Two Books . . . One Bot . . . and a Bombshell Chart 📚🤖 📈💥

READ: If summer is the ideal time for a big, juicy thriller, The Doorman by Chris Pavone totally meets the moment. At the center of the novel stands Chicky Diaz, the cash-strapped doorman of a grand Manhattan apartment building. Around him swirls a constellation of colorful characters. A gazillionaire jerk with a shady business and a perverse habit. His morally compromised wife. A middle-aged art dealer besotted with her beauty and intelligence. A closeted Ukrainian super. And the city of New York itself, ready to erupt. Pavone’s page-turner is Bonfire of the Vanities for 2025. (Amazon | BN.com | Bookshop | Public library)

READ: Any season is an ideal time for a hard core science book — which is why I also loved Dalton Conley’s The Social Genome. Conley, a Princeton sociologist with a Ph.D. in biology, replaces the tattered nature-vs-nurture debate with a new model: sociogenomics. He shows that DNA doesn’t determine our fate, but it does shape the social world we build — from the friends we choose, the grades we earn, and the zip code we inhabit. Likewise, our social world shapes the effects of our DNA. “If you have genes for aggression, and you're raised in a violent neighborhood, you may end up in prison,” Conley says. “But if you were born to great wealth with those same genes, you could wind up as a successful CEO.” (Amazon | BN.com | Bookshop | Public library)

TRY: Which AI model is the best? ChatGPT? Claude? Gemini? If you enjoy experimenting with large language models, check out LMArena, a UC-Berkeley project that randomly pits two anonymous chatbots against each other. Ask a question. Get two answers. Pick your favorite. LMArena unmasks your choice and tallies how others voted. It’s like Hot or Not for AI.

COUNT: Another big question: How will AI reshape work? Kill old jobs? Create new ones? Reconfigure which skills matter? This chart, from Bruce Mehlman, offers a tantalizing hint of the future. Recent art history majors are crushing computer science grads in the job market.

3. FINAL THOUGHTS: A Sculpture to Ponder

Jenny Holzer, Glenstone (July 2025)

I procrastinate. So do you. I want to do better. And so, I’ll bet, do you.

In our just-released 10-minute video, I walk through seven tools backed by science (and tested on myself) that can help you slay the procrastination dragon:

1. Follow the two-minute rule.

2. Remake your environment.

3. Bundle your temptations.

4. Visualize future regret (and success.)

5. Break tasks into microtasks.

6. Make a public commitment.

7. Say, “Just five more.”

You can watch the video here. (And don’t forget to subscribe!)

📚💥 2. ICYMI: 21 books. Zero fluff.

Earlier this month, we published a video that summarized 21 books that have sharpened my thinking and expanded my mind.

A few of you responded thusly (and here I’m paraphrasing): “Dan, as much as we enjoy savoring your honeyed voice and gazing at your smooth-yet-manly face. . . just give us the damn list of books!”

Okay. Here you go —with links:

Grit by Angela Duckworth
( Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

The Stoic Challenge by William Irvine
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

The Sports Gene by David Epstein
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Biased by Jennifer Eberhardt
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Give and Take by Adam Grant
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Unfair by Adam Benforado
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Influence by Robert Cialdini
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Rule Makers, Rule Breakers by Michele Gelfand
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

The Genetic Lottery by Kathryn Paige Harden
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Uncivil Agreement by Lilliana Mason
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Mindset by Carol Dweck
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Scarcity by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Nonzero by Robert Wright
(Amazon| BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Moneyball by Michael Lewis
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
(Amazon | BN.com | Independents | Public library)

If you want the summaries along with the list, watch the video by clicking the image below.

🤔🛤️ 3. THE BIG QUESTION: What should you do with the rest of your life?

Our most popular video this year (so far) is “How to Find Your Life’s Purpose” — which delivers seven brutally honest questions to help you answer the ultimate question: What should you do with the rest of your life?

📚 Drowning in book recommendations?

With one million new titles released each year, it’s tough to know which ones are worth your time.

So, to help, I made a new video: 21 nonfiction books that changed how I think, work, and live.

Whether you’re searching for your next great read or just want to absorb big ideas fast, this video is for you. I walk through all 21 books — summarizing the key takeaways — in just 18 minutes.

🎥 Click the image below to watch.

🧩 BONUS: Trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your life? This companion video — 7 Questions to Help You Find Your Purpose — might be just what you need.

Over the last year, life has delivered a series of milestones.

I marked a major birthday (the kind that ends in a terrifying 0). One of our kids got married. I put book-writing on pause.

Next month, our youngest graduates college. In July, Mrs. Pink Report and I celebrate a huge anniversary (the kind that ends in joyous 0).

All this activity has pushed to the front of my brain a question usually parked in the back: What should I do with the rest of my life?

Not what job. What purpose?

So, to sharpen my own decision-making (and maybe help yours), I made a short video. In 9 minutes, I describe 7 questions that I’ve asked myself, including:

• 👾 What made me weird as a kid?

• 🌀 When do I lose track of time?

• 🪞What will I regret when I’m 90?

Perhaps these questions will help you discover your purpose, too. You can watch by clicking the image below.

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I’ve spent the last two decades wrestling with words—for speeches, for books, and for my own sanity. In this new video, I reveal the 6 habits and practices that have kept me (mostly) sane and (sometimes) successful. If you’re stuck, these lessons might help.

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. Pasta, podcasts, and peculiar findings 🎧🍜🔎

📬 READ: WonderTools by Jeremy Caplan is consistently one of the most useful email newsletters in my inbox. Every issue includes at least one web site, resource, app, or recommendation that I end up integrating into my life.

📊 COUNT: Another smart newsletter is Nature-Nurture-Nietzsche by Steven Stewart-Williams, the source of our Chart of the Month. On the dating site OKCupid, straight men and straight women swipe through photos of the opposite sex and rate their attractiveness. The results are, uh, telling. Men rate 60 percent of women at least somewhat attractive. But women are much more selective. They rate 80 percent of men below the midpoint of attractiveness.

🍝 TRY: Want tastier, less lumpy pasta sauce? Then hang on to your April issue of the journal Physics of Fluids. A group of Italian physicists recently discovered the scientific secrets of perfect cacio e pepe and published the optimized recipe on page 6 of the paper.

🎭 LISTEN: Last month, the Freakonomics podcast dropped a three-part series that asks: How is Live Theater Still Alive? If you’re interested in the performing arts or in business models — or, like me, you’re obsessed by both — these episodes are worth your time. (Apple | Spotify)

3. FINAL THOUGHTS. What parents regret most 🧠💔

A few years ago, I wrote a book about regrets. Twenty-eight years ago, Mrs. Pink Report and I became parents for the first time. So, I was intrigued by this CNBC article about parental regrets — and made a short video about it.

You can watch that video — a mere 39 seconds long — below.

Last year, I launched the Why Not? project with the Washington Post — a yearlong experiment in offering fresh, unexpected ideas for improving our national and personal lives.

My final column came out this morning. And it’s about death.

Well, it’s actually about life.

It’s the story of Dick Hanneman — a man with terminal cancer who threw himself a laugh-filled, tear-soaked send-off, surrounded by the people he loved.

You can read the column here (free gift article). Or you can read a PDF version by clicking the image below.

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. 🍔 Big Macs abroad . . . 😬 Sh*t sandwiches at home . . . 📲 iPhone tricks . . . ❤️ and the science of rom-coms

🍟 READ: Regular readers know that one of my essential, if controversial, tips for overseas travel is to always visit a local McDonald’s. Now I finally have an ally. Photographer Gary He traveled to 50 countries to document how McDonald’s restaurants have customized their menus and architecture to local tastes. The result is McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches, one of the most fascinating (and beautiful) books of the year.

🚨 WATCH: A far more serious and urgent read is Timothy Synder’s 2017 book, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (Amazon | BN.com | Bookshop | Public library). Snyder examines Europe’s 20th century fascist and communist movements to help readers understand and resist America’s 21st century slide toward authoritarianism. For a taste of Snyder’s guidance, I recommend this video — in which John Lithgow recites those 20 lessons, beginning with “Do not obey in advance.”

🎧 LISTEN: What do rom-coms tell us about the science of relationships? Two professors are now delivering the answer in a smart and highly entertaining podcast. Love Factually is the brainchild of Paul Eastwick (UC-Davis) and Eli Finkel (Northwestern), who explore movies like Say Anything, Barbie, and Pretty Woman for practical insights on communication, vulnerability, and conflict resolution. Think Hidden Brain meets When Harry Met Sally. (Apple | Spotify)

📱TRY: Wirecutter has a nifty list of 18 Things You Didn’t Know Your iPhone Could Do. Wait, you can record your calls? And then transcribe them? Swiping left on the home screen opens the camera? Who knew?

3. FINAL THOUGHTS. Three phrases that will boost your motivation and creativity 🗣️⚡📈

In a new YouTube video, I share how you can swap a few words — saying this, not that — to sharpen your decisions and elevate your performance. You’ll learn why:

• “I don’t” deepens your willpower.

• “Get to” stirs your motivation,

• “Could” expands your creativity.

You can watch the 4-minute video here or by clicking the image below.)

Grades should come with a warning label.

They’re meant to help — but the side effects? Superficial learning. Outright cheating. Rampant grade inflation.

It’s time to end the madness. In my latest Washington Post’s Why Not column, I argue for ditching grades and replacing them with something more rigorous.

You can read the column here (gift article) or by clicking the image below.

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. Travel tips 🌍 . . . the art of sports 🏀🎨 . . . a compelling docudrama . . . and lots of weed🌿

READ ✈️: The wise and peripatetic Kevin Kelly has distilled 50 years of travel wisdom into a single list. (One gem: If you hire a driver, pay them to take you to visit their mother!) A brilliant compilation. Don’t leave home without it.

LOOK 👀 : Even people who aren’t sports fans should pay attention to sports. Sports has everything, folks! Organizational behavior (people working in teams, evaluated by clear metrics). Drama (characters confronting obstacles, often against a ticking clock.) Politics (labor disputes, antitrust issues, protests.) That’s why I love Art But Make It Sports — a newsletter and Instagram feed where LJ Rader pairs sports photos with fine art lookalikes.

COUNT 📈: More Americans now smoke marijuana daily than drink alcohol — even though the substance has been legal in some states for only a decade and remains illegal under federal law. Wild. Here’s the study.

WATCH 📺: Mrs. Pink Report and I have been riveted by Say Nothing, the nine-episode Hulu series that unpacks The Troubles in Northern Ireland through one woman’s story. (The show is based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s widely praised book.)

3. FINAL THOUGHTS. Good leaders have fans. Great leaders have haters.🔥

Our most popular video in February — nearing a million views across social media — explains why effective leaders always have a few haters.

The 31-second (!) piece is inspired by Jessica Stillman’s Inc. story, which itself was inspired by a conversation between Bob Sutton and Adam Grant (the Batman and Robin of organizational psychology!)

Not on Instagram or TikTok? No worries—we just posted it on YouTube. You can watch it for free by clicking the image below.

As my one-year Why Not? project for The Washington Post winds down, I’d appreciate your help with two final columns:

1. Grades 🎓: Do you know an educator who has eliminated letter grades in favor of something better?

2. Living Celebrations 🌺: Have you or someone you know planned a “living celebration” — a funeral where the honoree gets to attend?

If so, please email me directly: dp@danielpink.com. I’d love to talk. Thanks!

2. PINK RECOMMENDS. Oprah’s biggest regret, life advice from AI, acting civilized on an airplane.

WATCH 🎥: A promising young talent named Oprah Winfrey just launched a new podcast. And I was lucky enough to be her second guest. Discover Oprah’s biggest regret and watch us help four fascinating women overcome their own regrets. Listen here or watch on YouTube by clicking the image below. (Also, in case you didn’t know, Oprah is the GOAT.)

TRY 🤖: Large language models and other AI technology continue to amaze. Case in point: I recently asked Chat GPT a peculiar question — What can you tell me about myself that I don’t already know? The answer blew me away. Try it yourself.

LISTEN 🎧: A mysterious illness struck a group of high school girls. Was it something in the water, mass hysteria, or a modern witch hunt? Hysterical, a provocative 7-part podcast by Dan Taberski, digs into the story. Ideal for a long drive or an escape from holiday madness.

READ ✈️: Getting on a plane soon? Please be civilized. Read the 52 Definitive Rules of Flying. Among the edicts: Don’t show up late and expect to cut the line . . . Find your seat and get out of the aisle . . . Take the hint when your seat mate doesn’t want to talk . . . and for the love of God, keep your shoes on.

3. FINAL THOUGHTS. The science-based best time to exercise. 🧪🏃‍♂️🕒

Should you work out in the morning? The afternoon? The evening?

Turns out the answer is straightforward.

Find the best time to get moving in this quick video, which you can watch by clicking the image below.