Wisdom in fragments

The idea of time as something distinct from us, which we are then having to fight and struggle with all the time would simply not have existed to the mediaeval English peasant, who would have existed much more in what anthropologists call 'task orientation'.

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness

What's going to happen is that you just get busier and busier and move faster and faster! We treat productivity tools as if they're going to lead to our salvation, they're absolutely not going to.

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness

The efficiency trap is very modern, but it's now become a holdover from the Industrial Revolution. If you only relate to time, as if it were a certain kind of 'thing', like a natural resource… something that you could maximise, then you're going to be in a perpetual state of psychological struggle because you won't be using the right conceptual tools to live in time.

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness

The most critical element is the cultural integration. The distinct cultures of the two companies present a significant challenge, consuming 80-90% of our efforts. Our goal is to forge a unified team culture, permeating from senior leadership to the deepest levels.

It's crucial to adopt a bold mindset right from the start. I advocate for setting almost unrealistic targets. If we only aim for realistic targets, our efforts will be limited to minor tweaks rather than significant transformations.

In my role, I assess new investments and innovations not just through financial lenses but also considering their societal and environmental impacts. This broader perspective is a key difference from the shareholder-centric approach.

Western management styles and Eastern management philosophies are not mutually exclusive. In fact, blending the best elements of each can be highly effective. It's not about choosing one philosophy over the other. It's about selecting and integrating the best aspects of both to enhance how you run a business.

There's an entirely different category of knowledge, the utility of which isn't immediately apparent. This category is equally, if not more, crucial, especially for those aspiring to make creative or innovative strides.

Author of "The Tipping Point" & Popular Cultural Theorist

An uneducated unconscious is a perilous entity. The intuition of a seasoned doctor with 30 years spent diagnosing ailments is immensely beneficial. Conversely, the intuition of a teenager is not only unfruitful, but potentially hazardous.

Author of "The Tipping Point" & Popular Cultural Theorist

There's compelling evidence to suggest that the current mental health crisis among the youth may, to some extent, stem from individuals who haven't had the chance to navigate smaller tribulations and are consequently overwhelmed when faced with significant challenges.

Author of "The Tipping Point" & Popular Cultural Theorist

It's the disadvantages that offer a more fertile ground for learning, albeit for a smaller cohort. The depth of learning and engagement derived from tackling difficulties is substantially richer compared to that gleaned from facing advantages.

Author of "The Tipping Point" & Popular Cultural Theorist

When you engage with highly successful individuals who are open and honest about their journeys, it's invariably surprising to learn how much they attribute their achievements to good luck and favourable circumstances.

Author of "The Tipping Point" & Popular Cultural Theorist

Consider a car with malfunctioning brakes; it's unsafe to let it on the street, as it could cause harm. You'd need to confine it, but you wouldn't punish it or moralize its malfunction. Instead, you'd seek to understand why its brakes failed.

Neuroscientist & primatologist known for stress research and public engagement

We must start by eliminating a culture that falsely implies the existence of agency where there is none and condones differential treatment of individuals based on a misguided notion of self-control.

Neuroscientist & primatologist known for stress research and public engagement

When you examine how these myriad factors intertwine, from genetics and evolution to the proteins synthesized mere minutes ago, you see a continuous arc. In my view, there's no room in this intricate web for free will.

Neuroscientist & primatologist known for stress research and public engagement

Intelligence and self-deception appear to have co-evolved, with the belief that we are fully in control of our destinies serving as a mental safeguard, despite its inaccuracy.

Neuroscientist & primatologist known for stress research and public engagement