Habits and routines
Goals and motivation
idea
A commitment is different from a goal – here’s why that matters
Whatever your aims in life, the words you use matter. Here’s an important distinction that will help you stay on track
by Justin Kompf
Anxiety
idea
How to tell whether you’re being careful or giving in to anxiety
It’s not always easy to tell what’s a sensible safeguard, and what’s an anxiety-fuelling habit. A few questions can help
by Jemma Todd, Amelia Scott, Rachel Menzies & Louise Sharpe
The body and physical health
idea
Even a single exercise session can help shift depression
The long-term benefits of regular exercise for mood are well-known. What’s surprising is that just one session can help
by Matthew Bourke & Rhiannon Patten
Technology and media
idea
The pleasure, the pain and the politics of a digital detox
Studying why and how people take digital-media breaks can reveal what individuals and societies value in unmediated spaces
by Trine Syvertsen
Focus and attention
idea
Go on, admit it. You’re multitasking. Here’s how to do it better
Our limited mental resources make multitasking inefficient. As you’re unlikely to stop it, you can learn to do it better
by Virginia Clinton-Lisell
Goals and motivation
idea
To meet your goals, forget willpower and fill your toolbox
Achieving your goals has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with using the right mix of psychological tools
by Marina Milyavskaya
Habits and routines
idea
Prison life puts the ‘time work’ we all do into sharp relief
Trapped in an ocean of time, prisoners exemplify the human impulse to take temporal experience into our own hands
by Michael G Flaherty
Thinking and intelligence
idea
Lost perspective? Try this linguistic trick to reset your view
By using ‘distanced self-talk’, you can leverage the structure of language to take a step back and see the bigger picture
by Ariana Orvell
Goals and motivation
idea
There’s a way to avoid the slippery slopes of over-optimism
Optimistic people tend to enjoy more success, but that’s only when they put the effort in – wishful thinking is not enough
by Heather C Lench
Habits and routines
idea
In praise of habits – so much more than mindless reflexes
Rather than mindless mechanisms for routines, habits are a species of belief that display a great deal of intelligence
by Ian Robertson & Katsunori Miyahara
Personality
idea
Assertiveness is a virtue that anyone can develop with practice
You can’t stop people making demands on your time and energy, but you can develop assertiveness skills to protect yourself
by Rebecca Roache
Addiction
idea
Recognising the rhythm in addiction offers new ways to escape it
Addiction is not just about biochemistry – it’s also about time, and its hamster-wheel rhythm can suggest other treatments
by Eana Meng & Johannes Lenhard