“I tend to have a hard time working on pieces long before they're due. That's why I think the fact that I write a column is really good for me - the column has to be done, and there's no getting around it.” ThinkingWritingLongHardDoneFactsPiecesDuesHard TimesColumns Author:James Surowiecki
“There are lots of people who believe there may be at least some genetic component to procrastination, and even if there isn't, it seems to be the case that procrastination habits are often set relatively early in life (that's certainly the case with me). But I also think that there's lots of evidence that external tools can help quite a bit in getting people to stop procrastinating.” PeopleIfsThinkingBelieveMayHelpingSeemsBitsCasesHabitEvidenceToolsProcrastinationComponentsProcrastinating Author:James Surowiecki
“I do think to some extent multitasking is a way of fooling ourselves that we're being exceptionally efficient.” ThinkingWayEfficientMultitaskingFooling Ourselves Author:James Surowiecki
“I think people don't understand compound interest because typically no one ever explains it to them and the level of financial literacy in the US is very low.” PeopleThinkingInterestLevelsLowsFinancialLiteracyCompoundsFinancial LiteracyCompound Interest Author:James Surowiecki
“I think there is clearly a connection between free time and procrastination. The more you have of the former, all things being equal, the more likely you are to procrastinate.” ThinkingEqualAll ThingsConnectionsFormerProcrastinationFree TimeProcrastinatingBeing Equal Author:James Surowiecki
“I do think that procrastination evolved in humans for good reasons. If you're trying to stay alive as a human being on the savanna 20,000 years ago, worrying about what's right behind that bush is a lot more important than worrying about what might happen three weeks from now.” IfsThinkingTryingYearsHumansImportantReasonMightHappensThreeHuman BeingsBehindsWorryAliveWeekYears AgoProcrastinationStaying AliveSavanna Author:James Surowiecki
“Framing effects can be very influential, and to the degree that you can think of a task as close rather than distant, you're more likely to actually get it done.” ThinkingDoneEffectsDegreesTasksInfluentialGet It DoneFraming Author:James Surowiecki
“I typically don't adopt the ascetic approach. In part, that's because I do use the Net for research even as I'm writing (to check facts, or so on). But I think it's also because I find the possibility of distraction comforting.” ThinkingWritingFactsUsePossibilityApproachResearchChecksDistractionComforting Author:James Surowiecki
“Of course, plenty of people don't think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government.” PeopleThinkingGovernmentCoursesResponsibilityCorePlentyAffordable Author:James Surowiecki
“The essence of procrastination lies in not doing what you think you should be doing, a mental contortion that surely accounts for the great psychic toll the habit takes on people. This is the perplexing thing about procrastination: although it seems to involve avoiding unpleasant tasks, indulging in it generally doesn't make people happy.” PeopleThinkingShouldSeemsLyingHabitTasksEssenceAccountsProcrastinationAvoidingPsychicsTollsMaking People Happy Author:James Surowiecki
“Critics of consumer capitalism like to think that consumers are manipulated and controlled by those who seek to sell them things, but for the most part it's the other way around: companies must make what consumers want and deliver it at the lowest possible price.” ThinkingWayWantCompanyCapitalismSellsCriticsConsumersControlledLowest Author:James Surowiecki
“For a crowd to be smart, the people in it need to be not only diverse in their perspectives but also, relatively speaking, independent of each other. In other words, you need people to be thinking for themselves, rather than following the lead of those around them.” PeopleThinkingNeedsPerspectiveSmartIndependentCrowdsFollowingDiverseBeing Smart Author:James Surowiecki
“I started in business journalism from the outside, so when I started writing about markets and business, I was struck by the fact that markets seemed to work well even though people are often irrational, lack good information and are not perfect in the way they think about decisions.” PeopleThinkingWayWritingWellsFactsDecisionPerfectInformationJournalismIrrationalNot PerfectGood Information Author:James Surowiecki
“It may be that the very qualities that help people get ahead are the ones that make them ill-suited for managing crises. It's hard to prepare for the worst when you think you're the best.” PeopleThinkingMayHardHelpingQualityWorstCrisisIllGet AheadYou Re The BestPrepare For The Worst Author:James Surowiecki
“When Americans think of college these days, the first word that often comes to mind is 'debt.' And from 'debt' it's just a short hop to other unpleasant words, like 'payola,' 'kickback,' and 'bribery.'” ThinkingMindFirstsCollegeDebtThese DaysHopsBribery Author:James Surowiecki
“You might think of consumption as a fairly passive activity, but buying new products and services is actually pretty risky, at least if you value your time and money.” IfsThinkingMightValuesProductsActivityBuyingPassiveConsumptionTime And MoneyNew Products Author:James Surowiecki
“Paradoxically, the best way for a group to be smart is for each person in it to think and act as independently as possible.” ThinkingWayPersonsGroupsSmartBest WayBeing Smart Author:James Surowiecki
“Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromising. An intelligent group, especially when confronted with cognition problems, does not ask its members to modify their positions in order to let the group reach a decision everyone can be happy with. Instead…the best way for a group to be smart is for each person in it to think and act as independently as possible.” ThinkingWayPersonsDoeImportantProblemOrderAsksDecisionGroupsPositionProductsMembersDiversitySmartIntelligentIndependenceBest WayCompromiseCollectivesContestsConsensusDisagreementBeing SmartCognition Author:James Surowiecki
