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David Epstein

Journalist and author of The Sports Gene (2013) and Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019); writes the Range Widely newsletter; formerly a senior writer at Sports Illustrated.

5 books on the record · 18 May 2023 – 29 Jan 2026

The bar next to each date shows how long ago it was said: 7d is days, 4yr is years.

loved it

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Slow Productivity is a fantastic blend of stories and practical tips aimed at helping people work in a more sustainable fashion — without compromising their most important projects (which may include personal sanity).

on davidepstein.substack.com · 6 Mar 2024 · Report

liked it

Master of Change by Brad Stulberg

I’ve read a lot of Brad’s work, and he always marshals a mix of philosophy, science, and personal stories while managing to write about health and human performance topics in a conscientious way.

on davidepstein.substack.com · 14 Sep 2023 · Report

liked it

Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday

I underlined this anecdote in Ryan Holiday’s book, Discipline is Destiny, which came out last year. I think it’s a microcosm of the book as a whole, which argues, in my view, that self-imposed limits — of body and mind — can free rather than restrict us.

on davidepstein.substack.com · 22 Aug 2023 · Report

liked it

Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter

NYU psychologist Adam Alter is this week’s Q&A subject, and I took so many notes in his new book, Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most, as to obliterate the margins.

on davidepstein.substack.com · 18 May 2023 · Report

Everything David Epstein recommends — not just books — on rcmnd →

That little bar

It says how long ago something was said, so you can tell last month from 2014 without doing the arithmetic. Full and green is recent; it drains and cools as the date gets older, and empties completely at about 6 years.

A striped bar means the date itself is an estimate — the source did not carry an exact one. An entry with no date at all gets no bar.