In 2016 I returned to London from Kabul, Afghanistan, where I’d worked on a compound that at its longest stretch was about 150 metres. For the year that I had lived there, every day was… Read More »A five-step framework for beating decision fatigue
In 1930, the economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that we’d be working 15-hour weeks by now. Sadly, he was wrong. A large part of why we’re not is because of our (or capitalism’s) insatiable desire… Read More »How to combat Parkinson’s Law
Yesterday I went for a walk around a part of London I didn’t know well at all. I was out for about 90 minutes, but it felt more like four hours. Even though it was… Read More »How to make your time feel longer
N.B. There are lots of articles about how to make money from writing, but this is about the practice of getting your first few pieces written, and building a habit. It’s also about my personal… Read More »How I built my writing habit from scratch
Every productivity nerd will have at least heard of the Pomodoro Technique. It was invented by Francisco Cirillo in the late 1980s and is a simple way of ‘time boxing’ work. Pomodoro is the Italian… Read More »The 11 benefits of the Pomodoro Technique
I’ve always been into nasty exercise. Not just the kind you get through doing sports you enjoy, but the gruelling sessions sprinting up hills, and the long runs on freezing cold mornings. To be clear,… Read More »Why you should use a heart rate monitor for exercise
Some problems aren’t easily fixable. But sometimes we’re unhappy because of basic needs. Having a checklist for when you’re feeling unhappy can help you identify and meet these needs. I recently came across an amusing… Read More »A checklist for when you’re feeling unhappy
N.B. Please don’t take this as medical advice. It ain’t. The question of how much sleep you need has always struck me as hugely important. We’re all trying to live happy, productive lives, and yet… Read More »How much sleep do you need?
A year ago, I started practising yoga, having spent years thinking about it, but never actually getting round to doing it. I’ve since done around 10 minutes every day, usually on my own. It’s the… Read More »Why yoga is a waste of time
This isn’t going to make a huge difference to your life, but it won’t cost you much – if anything – either. If you’re into music, you should find some of it useful, but it’s… Read More »10 tips for finding good new music