Life

Our World in Data

The rise of living alone: how one-person households are becoming increasingly common around the world

In the US, the share of adults who live alone nearly doubled over the last 50 years. This is not only happening in the US: …

Forge

The 2-Word Trick That Makes Small Talk Interesting

While listening to my favorite podcasts, I’ve noticed a two-word phrase that hosts often use with their guests to cut …

kottke.org

The Secret to Enjoying a Long Winter

In winter 2017-18, I was depressed, anxious, wasn’t getting out of bed in the morning, spent endless time on my phone …

Hacker News

What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

A lot of what hackers do takes years of building knowledge upon knowledge. That’s also true for physicists, marketers, …

Cal Newport

If You're Busy, You're Doing Something Wrong: The Surprisingly Relaxed Lives of Elite Achievers

This analysis leads to an important conclusion. Whether you’re a student or well along in your career, if your goal is …

The Outline

We were supposed to be living in pod houses

Introduced in the late ’60s, the Futuro house was shaped like a UFO, contained built-in shag carpet, and could be …

The New York Times

Why You Should Find Time to Be Alone With Yourself

Don’t confuse loneliness with time by yourself.

Soaring – Chess in the Air

The Risk of Dying Doing What We Love

Many of us participate in activities and sports that are at least somewhat dangerous. However, most of us also do not have a …

Rhys Lindmark

Personal Wednesday: Using "I Am" Statements to Make Your Identity Large

In general, it’s powerful to keep your identity small. But it’s also helpful to have a clear sense of self …

BuzzFeed

I Thought Wilderness Was A Place To Find Myself, Until I Spent Four Months Living In It

A summer working on trails in the burned-out Oregon backcountry taught me that while humans may find profound beauty in …

The New York Times

Why Don't Rich People Just Stop Working?

Are the wealthy addicted to money, competition, or just feeling important? Yes.

TIME

Niksen Is the Dutch Lifestyle Concept of Doing Nothing—And You're About to See It Everywhere

First there was hygge, the Danish concept that made staying in and getting cozy cool. Then there was lagom, the Swedish …

World Economic Forum

10 ways to handle toxic people

To deal with toxic people effectively, you need an approach that enables you, across the board, to control what you can and …

Justin Jackson

Out of Office

Often, we don’t make progress because we’re stuck in the regular rut of commuting, working all day, and coming …

Personal Growth

I Meet Dead People Every Day: How to avoid becoming one yourself

Travel is a necessary evil because the payoff is worth all the trouble. Travel broadens our perspectives and educates us …

BBC

What happens when a city bans cars from its streets?

Many modern urban areas have been built around cars, with huge amounts of space set aside for roads and parking. But what …

The Atlantic

Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore

Our unpredictable and overburdened schedules are taking a dire toll on American society.

The New York Times

I Used to Fear Being a Nobody. Then I Left Social Media.

My wanting to share every waking thought became eclipsed by a desire for an increasingly rare commodity — a private life.

BYU

Impostor Syndrome is more common than you think; Study finds best way to cope with it

The impostor syndrome, a phenomenon that manifests when people feel like frauds even if they are actually capable and …

The New York Times

Young People Are Going to Save Us All From Office Life

Gen Z-ers and millennials have been called lazy and entitled. Could they, instead, be among the first to understand the …

Quartz

Photographer removes our smartphones to show our strange and lonely new world

Are you reading this on a handheld device? There’s a good chance you are. Now imagine how’d you look if that …

Up and to the Right

Journaling

Many of my anxieties, worries, and decisions tend to get warped, distorted, and intermixed in my mind as I sit there mulling …

The Guardian

Underpopulated Italian region offers visitors €25,000 to move in

An underpopulated region in southern Italy is offering newcomers €700 per month for three years to live in one of its …

CNBC

These are the world's most liveable cities in 2019

The top 10 most liveable cities in the world, and their scores according to The Global Liveability Index 2019, are:

1. Vienna, …

Stanford

Meeting online has become the most popular way U.S. couples connect, Stanford sociologist finds

Matchmaking is now done primarily by algorithms, according to new research from Stanford sociologist Michael Rosenfeld. His …

BuzzFeed

How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation

I couldn’t figure out why small, straightforward tasks on my to-do list felt so impossible. The answer is both more …

Farnam Street

The Danger of Comparing Yourself to Others

The most important things in life are measured internally. Thinking about what matters to you is hard. Playing to someone …

Human Parts

The Art of Waking Up Earlier Than Everyone Else

I’ve read several articles about the productivity benefits of waking up early — and I’m sure you have, too. These …

Aeon

Why speaking to yourself in the third person makes you wiser

Imagine, for instance, that you are arguing with your partner. Adopting a third-person perspective might help you to …