Comparisons and Curiosity writer
Ngaire Fitzgerald
Ngaire lays two approaches side by side and tries both before writing a word, usually with a cup of tea and a cheap notebook. She likes to show where each one helps and where results vary. A friend from her walking group taught her to say 'it depends, and here's on what'.
Notes
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01
Either, Or
8 min
Study Alone or With a Friend? Two Ways to Learn Something Hard
Solitary study gives you focus and your own pace. A study partner gives you questions, encouragement and a gentle deadline. Here is what each does well, why, and how to tell which suits you.
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02
Thinking Tools
8 min
Second-Order Thinking: Asking "And Then What?"
Second-order thinking is the habit of following a choice one step further than feels natural. Here is how it works, where it helps, and why it should stay out of the way when you're choosing a biscuit.
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03
Thinking Tools
8 min
The Pre-Mortem: Imagining Your Plan Has Gone Wrong Before You Start
A pre-mortem asks you to picture your plan having already failed, then list the reasons why. It's a small, cheerful habit that works on camping trips and birthday dinners, and it takes about five minutes.
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04
Classic Ideas
7 min
Seneca on Anger, in Everyday Words
Roughly two thousand years ago, Seneca suggested that most of our choice about anger lives in the gap between the spark and the reaction. It turns out to be a handy thing to practise on a slow queue or a late bus.