An illustration of the author.

Tim Urban

Tim Urban has become one of the Internet’s most popular writers. With wry stick-figure illustrations and occasionally epic prose on everything from procrastination to artificial intelligence, Urban's blog, Wait But Why, has garnered millions of unique page views, thousands of patrons and famous fans like Elon Musk.

An illustration of the author.

How to pick a career

In our career, we all yearn five elements: achieving our potential, having a good lifestyle, helping others, being socially validated, and being financially safe. You must spend time unpacking all those categories, what they mean for you and which ones do you prioritise over others.

An illustration of the author.

How should you live your life

You should be a chef, and not a cook. That is, you should reason from first principles instead of by analogy.

An illustration of the author.

How to pick the right partner

There are three key ingredients necessary: you should have an epic friendship with them (enjoy their humour, have fun together), you should feel at home (safe, accepted for who you are) and they should be committed to having a healthy relationship (communicating, being equal).

An illustration of the author.

What is the meaning of life

Our goal is to develop as much wisdom as possible, as early as possible. It's to see the truth for what it is, to tame our animal instincts and grow as a higher being.