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Work and vocation

Man at an office desk with multiple monitors, working on spreadsheets, a large mountain mural on the wall in front of him.

Work and vocation

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Why do so many people think they are in a bullshit job?

Researchers continue to debate whether some jobs are inherently useless – but all agree it’s harmful to see your job this way

by Shayla Love

A train arrives at a busy subway station. Many different people on the platform wait to get on the train. Some are blurred as they are caught by the camera mid-motion.

Neurodiversity

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Adapting to the neurotypical world is not the same as conforming

As an autistic person, this is how I draw the line between adapting in a way that’s good for me and simple conformity

by Jack Ori

A tabby cat sleeps upon a home office desk next to a laptop and various desk items

Goals and motivation

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Facing a tedious to-do list? This trick could make it easier

The ‘easy addendum effect’: how careful timing of your easier tasks could help you feel better at the end of the day

by Shayla Love

A painting of a man with long hair wearing a black outfit and hat, holding a lit cigarette, and sitting in a café with a glass of green liquid.

Thinkers and theories

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Learning to be a loser: a philosopher’s case for doing nothing

For Emil Cioran, a life devoid of action, practical ambitions and busyness is a life in which room has been made for meaning

by Costica Bradatan

Silhouette photo of a person drinking from a bottle inside a lorry cab against a sunset sky.

Work and vocation

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Why AI surveillance at work leads to perverse outcomes

In the name of efficiency, workplace AI technologies shift burdens long-assumed by employers onto workers

by Karen Levy

Photo of a street scene with a large billboard showing cloudy sky a woman walking by a café and an underpass roof above.

Work and vocation

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Kafka warned us: surveillance turns the watched into watchers

Surveillance changes us in powerful ways, as Franz Kafka warned. Neither the watched nor their watcher escapes unscathed

by George Alliger

Illustrated book cover for “Voyages Extraordinaires” by Jules Verne featuring a globe, ship, hot air balloon and portrait.

Stories and literature

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Are successful authors creative geniuses or literary labourers?

Some writers are explorers, like Edgar Allan Poe. Others are exploiters, like Jules Verne. Which type is better off?

by Oleg Sobchuk

Photo of a surgeon in blue scrubs and mask walking in a hospital hallway near a surgical prep area.

Work and vocation

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The idea of a ‘surgeon’s personality’ won’t fix the profession

What can explain why surgeons are leaving the profession in their droves? Clue: it’s not a failure of their personality

by Agnes Arnold-Forster