Discovery

Most of us spend some amount of time--sometimes a lot!--online. Instead of chasing after provocative headlines and weird old tricks, why not spend time on sites that will make you smarter in life, shrewder in business, and wiser in leadership?

Here are 30 of the best sites for professional and personal development. Learn as an individual or connect your team.

1. TED Talks
TED's tagline is "ideas worth spreading." TED Talks is a video collection in the form of short, powerful speeches on every subject imaginable (18 minutes or less).

2. Brain Pickings
Brain Pickings has interesting posts drawn from art, science, design, history, and philosophy.

3. 99U
99U's actionable insights on productivity, organization, and leadership help creative people push ideas forward.

4. Lynda
Lynda has thousands of video tutorials covering technical, creative, and business skills, all taught by industry experts.

5. University of the People
University of the People is a nonprofit, tuition-free online university based in California and committed to educational access and inclusion.

6. Learnist
Learnist is a collaborative knowledge-sharing site where users create and curate "learning boards" composed of text, images, video, and audio.

7. Alison
Alison offers free online courses with certification and diploma options.

8. Mental Floss