Why — and How — to Quit Things

Life-changing advice from 2023, part 2.

I’m not sure whom I should thank here, but more copies of my book were sold last week than any other week over the past two years. More than were sold the week of my paperback release! If you have recently bought a copy (or two, or three), I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And for those still on the fence: How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes would make a great holiday gift for new parents or parents-to-be! You can get it anywhere books are sold, and you can also order a personalized signed copy from my local bookstore.

The life-changing advice I’m going to share with you today first hit me over the head in late 2022, when my editors at The New York Times asked me to write a quick turnaround Q&A with former poker player Annie Duke about her new book Quit: The Power Of Knowing When to Walk Away. I didn’t have the chance to read her book before talking to her, but the interview blew me away. I swore to myself that I’d revisit the book one day, and that day turned out to be Wednesday. I inhaled the whole thing in just over 24 hours.

It’s a really good book. It’s full of surprising revelations — and science — on how bad we are at making decisions and why.

Today I’m going to share a few of the things that really stuck with me about why it is so hard for us to switch course when we should — and what we can do to overcome these ubiquitous cognitive biases and distortions. (The strategies are surprisingly simple.)