During the spring of 1902, Hanoi, Vietnam, was on the brink of its first bubonic plague outbreak. Years earlier, French colonists built nine miles of sewage piping in a bid to modernize the city with basic amenities like running water and, in particular, flushing toilets. [1] The problem was, while well-built, the sewer’s warm, moist […]
Words Into Works #008 | Broken Windows Theory
In the 1980s, New York City was in the grip of one of the worst crime epidemics in its history. With increased crime and violence in American inner-city neighborhoods, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) fought to reduce crime, not with brawn, but with brains. [1] One of the NYPD’s strategies for fighting crime […]
Words Into Works #007 | Be Less Wrong
Imagine you’re playing a game of tennis. You’re rallying back and forth, playing a competitive game, when you marginally lean to the left of the court in the middle of a point. Your better-skilled opponent catches the error in their peripheral vision and changes their shot at the last second. Game, set, match. [1] In […]
Words Into Works #006 | The Fundamental Attribution Error
Irritated by the ruckus, Covey finally gave in, turned to the man, and asked him to control the children. “I guess I should do something about it,” replied the man, grimly. “We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they […]
Words Into Works #005 | The Two-Minute Rule
“Every day, there are a handful of moments that deliver an outsized impact,” writes James Clear in his bestselling book, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Our decisions, or decisive moments, as Clear refers to them, are forks in the road, choices that propel you toward a productive day, […]