That childhood urge to ask ‘how’ and ‘why’ usually fades. But we can all learn to rediscover the joys of wide-eyed discoveryWonder and the learning it encourages enable us to more fully engage with others.Each instance of wondering in turn launches a branching network of new instances and opens a door to the potentially endless joy of successive discoveries. If this sounds overly euphoric, it is exactly how renowned polymaths describe their lives, from childhood to their final moments.

Revive Your Sense of Wonder

By embracing wonder – your drive to learn about the world – you can deepen your appreciation of the world’s richness and engage more fully with others.

Wonder Is Rewarding

A periodic check-up can help you take stock of the insights you have recently gained – or prompt you to start wondering about areas of ignorance.Ask yourself: have you learned anything new in the past month that has changed how you view or understand some aspect of the world?

Regular Introspections

Wondering deeply is not about finding one simple answer. Answers to questions beget new questions, and each offers an opportunity to learn.When you wonder, try to approach a question with the expectation that you are just taking the first step in what might turn out to be many possible cycles or branching paths of wondering, each one triggered by what you learn in response to the prior question.

Embrace the proliferation of wonder

You can experience extra pleasure in information foraging when you discover a new way of learning more.Search engines have their place, but also look to other resources, such as videos, educational events and books that provide an accessible introduction to a subject.

Adopt Diverse Ways of Wondering

Wonder will often go into high gear when you are confronted with an apparent anomaly or puzzle. Sometimes, people ignore anomalies as annoying exceptions to a simple explanatory story that they have in mind.Zero in on phenomena that seem atypical or unclear – they can provide fuel for wondering.

Look for Anomalies and Puzzles

Examining the similarities and differences between related kinds or concepts can yield unexpected insights.A range of <a href="https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0025140">studies</a> has shown the value of contrasting cases for learning more deeply about a topic.

Explore Contrasting Cases

Wondering what would happen if something about the world was different can help you understand why certain things work the way they do.Wonder is most powerful when it uncovers the causal structures that lie beneath and are responsible for surface phenomena. These structures often include elaborate and extensive branches, so that each ‘how’ or ‘why’ question can launch a cascade of follow-up questions.

Entertain Counterfactuals

One way to reawaken wonder lies in your interactions with others. Many adults see arguments as aversive battles with the goal of conquering the other with your point of view. But this ‘argue to win’ perspective neglects the opportunity that disagreements offer for expanding wonder. To take advantage of this, we need to adopt an ‘argue to learn’ mindset.Adopt an ‘argue to learn’ mindset, treating disagreements as opportunities for wondering rather than battles to be won.

Practice Win-Win Wondering with Others

<ul><li>A checklist can help ensure that you wonder in ways that are as fair and thorough as you’d like.</li><li>Depending on the subject of your wondering, the checklist might include different items.</li><li>To foster more moments of wonder, upon encountering a new phenomenon that is puzzling, you might check how often you pursued the topic with a number of ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions instead of just seeking a simple answer. </li></ul>

Create a Checklist for Wondering

The more you engage in wondering, the more you will ask why you haven’t wondered more in the past. Wondering deeply is one of the few activities in life in which you can acquire something of great value at little or no material cost – something that can continuously enrich how you experience the world going forward.

The Bottom Line

That childhood urge to ask ‘how’ and ‘why’ usually fades. But we can all learn to rediscover the joys of wide-eyed discovery

Stashed ideas

How to revive your sense of wonder | Psyche Guides

"It’s easy to get angry and label someone a jerk or a schmuck. It’s much harder to try to understand the underpinnings of why he or she approaches the situation that way."

<ul><li>The Narcissus – someone with an over-developed sense of entitlement, who is self-centered, condescending, and attention-seeking.</li><li>The Venus Flytrap – someone who is over-dramatic and inconsistent in reaction, and keeps everyone on edge.</li><li>The Swindler – someone who comes across as “slick” and manipulative.</li><li>The Bean Counter – someone who is so obsessed with order or perfection to such a degree that they cannot handle not being in total control.</li><li>The Distracted – someone who is constantly focused on everything else but their work, and who struggles with procrastination.</li></ul>

Types of Schmucks (1)

<ul><li>Hyde – someone who has a completely different personality and one that is the opposite of their usual behavior (similar to an addict in that respect).</li><li>The Lost – someone who exhibits memory loss, loss of language or even judgement skills.</li><li>The Robotic – someone who appears unemotional or hard to read and just can’t connect with others.</li><li>The Eccentric – someone who has difficulty relating to others because of their own view of the world, one which others may find odd.</li><li>The Suspicious – someone who is constantly feeling that there is a conspiracy against them and alienates others via paranoia.</li></ul>

Types of Schmucks (2)

"Avoiding a pattern of behavior will not cause it to magically disappear but will instead allow it to fester."

If the disruptive behavior is serious and dangerous, then immediate action is critical, whereas if the behavior is of a less-serious nature (even merely inconvenient or unpleasant) a more moderate action is appropriate. The key is confronting the offending behavior and working towards a solution. The behavior is what needs to change, and the focus needs to be on that instead of the individual.

Do Something

"Workplace relationships are just another type of relationship between people, and they need to be built on openness and communication. We need to be honest with ourselves and with each other."

Regardless of which type of disruptive behavior you are seeing, the critical element is clear and consistent communication. This may be done upfront with expectations laid out and standards of conduct that are clearly defined, in a way that no one can claim they were not aware, and as such can have no excuses. Other suggestions include direct conversations with a focus on the behavior and the resulting impact, not only on the business but on all parties.

Communication Is Key

Tactics include everything from simple conversations, casual coffee meetings, and discussions, to the more formalized documented meetings with managers and HR, to even medical/psychiatric interactions depending upon the magnitude of the workplace issue. For some, the direct approach is welcome, and for others it may only fan the flames and increase the tension. Regardless, effective communication, either in verbal or written form, solidifies the need to be clear for all parties to be successful.

Communication Tactics

"Everyone has a "schmuck" in their office--a difficult, disruptive person who upsets the workplace, confuses their co-workers and causes concern. No one is safe from a schmuck. They come in many sizes and shapes, such as: - Narcissus--the self-centered, condescending, attention-seeking peacock who tramples on others - The Flytrap--the bringer of chaos who can flip from angry to happy in an instant creating an office maelstrom - The Bean Counter--the orderly perfectionist who never gives up control even when it's full-steam-ahead to disaster - The Robot--the inflexible stone wall who is incapable of adapting, even in the face of much-needed change Sound like anyone you know? These are just a few of the more prominent schmucks. In her new book, Dr. Jody Foster explains the entire spectrum of schmucks, how they can decrease productivity, and generally make everyone else unhappy. After delineating the various types of schmucks, she looks at personality traits and explains how interactions among coworkers can become maladaptive leading to workplace disasters. She helps readers understand the schmuck as a person, figure out how to help him or her, and effect a positive solution. Dr. Foster also helps readers understand the most difficult thing of all: sometime you are the "schmuck." Let Dr. Jody Foster show you how to help the schmuck, know if you are the schmuck, and make your workplace a happy and productive one"--

The Schmuck in My Office

Humans can only be productive for 35–40 hours per week. Working additional hours yields little more productivity and leads to burnout in the long-term. Additionally, the best work is often done early in the day while the mind is fresh.
A concentrated effort is when professional activities are performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.

Concentrated Effort

Work in two sessions, each two hours long.<ul><li>Wear noise-cancelling headphones</li><li>No random internet surfing, email, or Slack</li><li>Phone is silenced and kept in a drawer</li></ul>Supporting your work<ul><li>On the desk: coffee, water, hand cream, notebook and pen (for writing down tasks)</li><li>Taped to the monitor: a sign that reads “Do Not Disturb from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.”</li></ul>After the work sessions are over, check your email and text messages, just once or twice per day. Afternoons can be free for walks, company events, meetings, coffees, and chance conversations.

Four Hours of Deep Work

Routines don’t tap into willpower, resilience, or intrinsic motivation, leaving you more of those resources to spend on hard problems.One can walk in the morning sun, or do any kind of exercise that pumps up the lungs and heart. Writing and reading are also good options.

The Morning Routine

Adult life is stressful. If we’re not caring for others, working long hours, doing side projects, or just socializing, it can be hard to slow down and stay rested. Napping isn’t a part of the company culture in most organizations, but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/smarter-living/take-naps-at-work-apologize-to-no-one.html">a 20-minute or (more rarely) 90-minute nap in the afternoon</a> provides a useful energy boost.

The Afternoon Nap

The goal is to completely shut down all work and work-related thinking until you come into the office the next day. No after-hours email, phone calls with team members, or late-night coding sessions. Deliberate rest from work is one of the most important ways to work effectively, as it allows your mind to recharge so you can perform well the next day:<ul><li>Take a final look at Slack</li><li>Take a final look at the inbox and messages.</li><li>Write down any new tasks into task lists</li><li>Skim every task in the task lists</li><li>Look at the next few days on the calendar</li><li>Make a plan for the next day</li><li>Check action lists in a notebook</li></ul>

Shutdown Ritual

There are few things as valuable to good mental performance as sleep.  Sleep is also a time where you do much of your best work. While you are asleep, The brain is doing maintenance, processing the events of the day, and even working on the problems you couldn’t solve during the day.

The Importance Of Sleep

<ul><li>Switch from always being available to being strategically available in order to best support your work.</li><li>Ensure the tech stuff stays on the desk. You can use a pen and paper.</li><li>Avoid long chains of messages on email and Slack, aiming to close the loop fast.</li></ul>

Tips For Intentional Collaboration And Achieving Optimal Productivity

<ul><li>Use the DND feature on your smartphone which only lets certain important numbers come through.</li><li>Give your work number to your family, caregivers and school faculty for emergencies. </li></ul>

What To Do For Emergencies

<ul><li>Inform your client about your usual availability hours.</li><li>Request to schedule phone calls in advance so that you can be available with preparation.</li><li>Be available during important product launches.</li></ul>

For People In Jobs Where Client Wants Availability

How do you work effectively in a collaborative workplace? I’ve found a way to balance concentration and conversation, and would like to share techniques and habits for being productive. When I first…

How to Concentrate in a Collaborative Workplace | by James Pothen | NYT Open

Before the pandemic, working from home was something that was reserved for the lucky few. Now, it is a reasonable work perk that many employees are searching for. However, working from home doesn’t mean staying in your hometown. 
More and more people are taking advantage of this new opportunity and using it to explore different cultures, new cities and other continents.

Work From Home: Mainstream Edition

Portugal ticks lots of boxes for tech nomads. It’s an expat-friendly country, the internet is excellent, the food is amazing and the weather is sunny and pleasant year-round.The Portuguese government is actively recruiting remote workers through its Portugal Passive Income Visa (or D7 Visa) and Non-Habitual Residence tax scheme. Perks include 0% tax on foreign income and 0% tax on crypto. There’s also no minimum stay requirement which is appealing if you’d like to keep your options open.

Portugal 

Did you know that Costa Rica recently passed a law aimed at attracting foreign remote workers? The law, which came into force last October, includes income tax exemptions and access to local banking. It also makes driving licenses issued overseas valid in the country.However, even before this law came into place Costa Rica was a popular choice for digital nomads. Top pull factors include the amazing beaches and natural landscape as well as a growing expat community.

Costa Rica

Boasting one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, Malta is now welcoming back visitors with cash incentives and a recently launched Nomad Residence Permit. This brand new permit enables visitors to keep their current employment in another country and live in Malta for up to a year (with the opportunity for renewal).Besides having one of the strongest economies, the lowest unemployment rates and one of the world’s best climates, Malta offers excellent schooling, healthcare and an overall safe environment.

Malta

The Spanish government is currently working on a Digital Nomad Visa under a draft bill called the Startups Law. Under the proposed law, remote workers can get a visa that allows them to stay and work for 12 months. This can be extended for another 24 months.Spain’s beaches, mountains and vibrant cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia make it a prime location for digital nomads who want a central European base with excellent transport links.

Spain

We can’t talk about digital nomad destinations without mentioning Bali. Indonesia has been right at the heart of the movement and it’s not hard to see why. This tropical island is full of gorgeous beaches, lush jungles, picture-perfect cafes, and luxury villas at affordable prices.Most people simply pick up a month or two-month visa on arrival. This means that you will need to leave the country and re-enter when it expires but this usually isn’t a problem for nomads who want to explore on their time off.

Indonesia

These are the top destinations for digital nomads in 2022 based on visas, tax schemes, and great liveability.

Are you a digital nomad? Consider these countries for 2022

<ul><li>The IQ(intelligence quotient) is a measurement of the mind's various cognitive functions like short-term memory, logic, reasoning, spatial recognition and analytical thinking.</li><li>The concept of IQ was first created in 1916 by an American psychologist conducting intelligence tests on soldiers.</li><li>The IQ score, derived from standard IQ tests, can be in the range of 69 to 130, with above 100 scores indicating high levels of intelligence.</li><li>The average IQ score is 100, and if your score is 130 or above, you are having superior intelligence!</li></ul>

IQ: Intelligence Quotient

<ul><li>The Guinness Book of World Records once listed writer Marilyn Vos Savant as the highest scorer(228) at age 10.</li><li>Albert Einstein and Stephan Hawking have IQ levels in the range of 160-170.</li><li>Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman scored 238 recently.</li></ul>

Highest Recorded IQs

<ul><li>Learn to speed read articles and non-fiction books.</li><li>Play brain games, making use of your mind-muscle with teasers and puzzles.</li><li>Take part in online brain training exercises.</li></ul>

How To Increase Your IQ

What is the highest IQ score you can possibly get? Discover the secrets behind the highest IQ scores & learn how to supersize yours.

What Is The Highest IQ Humanly Possible?

Just like heavy metal music, rap music and violent video games were blamed for corrupting entire generations, social media is the latest villain, seemingly able to corrupt minds at break-neck speed and on a much grander scale.Social media and content companies like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube and Netflix all seem like agents of destruction, affecting people of all ages using addictive algorithms, changing their mood, happiness levels and self-esteem.

Social Media: The New Culprit

Self Improvement

It is common to hear that social media addiction leads to depression, chronic anxiety and increased suicidal tendencies, especially in youngsters.Correlating social media usage with depression and anxiety is fundamentally flawed, and there is solid research to prove the reverse: Anxiety and depression drive people towards social media.

Common Criticism Of Social Media: Anxiety And Depression 

Social media has been blamed for large, widespread public protests, promotion of radical conspiracy theories, threats and hate-mongering.Social media is in fact the latest tool for things happening for centuries, just like letters, radio and the telephone. Polarization is not happening due to social media, but due to the growing income inequality, globalization and multiculturalism.

Common Criticism Of Social Media: Political Extremism

Fake news is often credited as the biggest demon-child of social media. The truth is that fake news has existed centuries before when people published pamphlets and newspaper columns to taint their(political) rivals.Political activism, unethical lobbying and spreading false propaganda were seen many decades before social media came along.

Common Criticism Of Social Media: Fake News

Google and Facebook, the companies most people believe are profiting off the disinformation and conspiracy theories, have shown that they are all in fact trying to diffuse the problem and remove the ‘looney figures’ spreading hatred and fake news.

Common Criticism Of Social Media: The Big Tech Mafia

Conspiracy theories and fear-mongering were common much before social media existed. Y2k, the fear of computers not recognizing the year 2000 and crashing, as they were not programmed to handle dates beyond 1999, was blown out of proportion back in the late 90s.Social media, whether it is Facebook or a Clubhouse audio chat room, is simply a powerful tool to connect with like-minded people and do stuff, anything that people do otherwise, good or bad.

Social Media: The Real Problem

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, essentially states that a majority of output is a result of a much smaller input. Similarly, the 90/9/1 rule talks about the content that is generated on the internet.According to this rule, 1 percent of users generate a huge majority of content(90 percent) acting as content creators. 9 percent of users create 10 percent of the content, and the rest of the 90 percent of users are simply an audience.

The 90/9/1 Rule Part 1

The disparity in the amount of content creation gives rise to fanatic influencers who rack up most of the noise, resulting in truth getting drowned and falsehoods(repeated often and loud) becoming the mainstream beliefs.

The 90/9/1 Rule Part 2

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

<ul><li>Due to the 90/9/1 rule, a majority of people do not have any influence on our cultural narrative, leading to distortion and twisting of reality.</li><li>Issues and agendas that have a loud community and media backing get highlighted, whereas real issues like mental health, homelessness, healthcare etc. remain sidelined.</li><li>Radical, unconventional, man-bites-dog stories and viewpoints receive plenty of airtime and mindshare among people, due to their novelty.</li></ul>

The Internet Is A Bizarro World

For people in the media, like TV journalists and podcasters, things have changed a lot. A few decades ago, content was produced for a few outlets, channels and newspapers, and creators had to make it universally likeable, focusing on the consensus.When the internet came, and there were thousands of choices available, news agencies and media publishers switched to a different strategy to sell their content in a crowded marketplace: Controversy.The end result is a media circus, which distorts reality to resemble a wrecking ball hurdled on our planet.

The Media Circus

Social media focuses on two very different extreme versions of reality, the very good and the very bad. This is because normal beliefs and regular content do not provide the ‘clicks’ or the ‘eyeballs’. It has not corrupted mankind, but only revealed again what mankind really is.

Social Media: The Two Extremes

“Power doesn’t always corrupt, but power always reveals.”

Social Media Isn't the Problem... We Are

Many people go through life desiring everyone to like them - not just a boss or a co-worker but strangers - the customer-service reps, cab drivers, or people in the grocery store.
Just telling yourself, it doesn't matter if the others like you is bad advice. You know it doesn't affect your life on an intellectual level whether this stranger thinks you're wonderful, but that doesn't stop you from wanting them to.

Wanting to be liked by everyone

The inkblot consists of patterns where you have to explain what you see. What a person sees says more about them than it does about the inkblot.
The same thing is true interpersonally. The qualities that make you likeable to one person will make you unlikable to another person. Research shows that people like other people with personalities most similar to their own. You can't control the preferences of the other person.

Think of yourself as an inkblot

Many factors influence how someone might feel about you.
Someone might be having a bad day, or they may be distracted by their workload. All are aspects beyond your control. The factors may influence how people respond to you, but they're not about you.

Consider all the things you don't know

We all have some problematic thought patterns that we are unaware of. 
<ul>
<li>One is mind-reading, where you wrongly assume that whoever you're with is thinking negative thoughts about you. </li>
<li>Another is personalising, making something about you when it isn't. </li>
<li>Or catastrophising, where you assume the worst-case scenario. </li>
</ul>
The key is to figure out which ones apply to you. Consider which assumptions do you have about yourself that skewed your perception of what happened.

Pinpoint your biases

When someone comes across as neither obviously friendly nor overly hostile, most people will find it difficult to read them accurately.
That means many neutral encounters end up being perceived as negative ones. People who are sensitive to rejection may assume other people will shut them out. Recognizing our own skewed perception of the world is a first step toward solving it. With classic cognitive behavioural therapy techniques, we can learn to reinterpret other people's behaviour.

The difference between negative and neutral

Put yourself in the context of the whole world. Imagine spending a week interacting with all 7 billion people on the planet. Then consider what percentage of those people would say that you're generally a likeable person.
For example, thinking that around 70 percent of people would like you means 30 percent wouldn't. That means out of 7 billion people, 2.1 billion wouldn't like you. That is a lot of people. You're going to be disliked. That means shrug it off and move on.

Tell yourself the odds are against you

A practical guide to caring less about winning the approval of total strangers you’re never going to see again.

How to Get Over the Need to Be Liked by Everyone You Meet

“Silence is a source of great strength.”

To escape the chaos of our daily lives, many of us try to meditate, mistaking it for another activity, something we have to do.
The concept of sitting still is doing absolutely nothing, a concept alien to many of us with a mindset of always doing stuff.

Being Vs Doing

“Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat.”

This act of inaction is not natural to us, as we are never taught to just be, but to always do something.
But just by pausing, closing your eyes and sitting still for a minute and just focusing on your breath as it happens is the antidote to all the stress that the noise creates.

Pause And Be Still

Stillness has a strength, a calming effect on us and our surroundings. Our being still slows down the world around us, allowing us to focus and concentrate on the essential.
To be still takes courage in this frenetic, chaotic world where everyone is always in a rush. Being still allows us to find the strength from within, rather than outside.

The Strength of Stillness

<ul>
<li>Find a time in the early morning hours when it is quiet, making sure you don’t fill your mind with junk and anxiety by checking your phone notifications.</li>
<li>Just sit and try to be comfortable with the concept of doing nothing: no drinking, no snacking, no planning your day. Just embracing calm.</li>
<li>Gradually, you will find other pockets of time during the day when you can just be, and your calmness will help you create stuff, exercise, work and do everything more effectively.</li>
</ul>

Finding Stillness

Find Stillness to Cure the Illness - zen habits

Death doesn’t make life pointless, death makes life worth living. Sometimes the discussion about the meaning of life serves no purpose besides distracting you from the answer, which is found in front of you when you live your life.When you wake up, pretend today is your last day and live life as you would in this circumstance. And don’t just think, do.

Live Every Day as If It Were Your Last

Crisis Support

Although eating food is pleasurable, digesting it is our main purpose. We should eat to live rather than live to eat.To practice this principle, one can eat plain foods without sauces or try intermittent fasting.

Food as a Test Of Self-Control

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

We should learn from the past, but to regret it and then look at it with disdain brings nothing but frustration and anger. There is no reward for dwelling on what you cannot control, the past.To build character, expect and embrace failure, then seek obstacles that seem uncomfortable. Practicing negative visualization (envisioning the worst possible scenario so you can better appreciate the present) also helps.

Failure Is Natural, Regret Is Foolish

Never underestimate the small things in life, as they define the larger and more important ones. Everything is worth paying attention to for all experiences and outcomes in life are interlinked.Don’t place your satisfaction on big goals and dreams, place your satisfaction on small wins. Consistently having small wins is what usually leads to success.

Focus On The Small Things

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

Quote

Throw away conceit and pride before you study any subject. Doing so lets you learn, evolve and develop through the wisdom of others and through embracing the joy of ignorance.

Don’t Be Vain

Below is a guest post from Philip Ghezelbash, as he offered to share five of the most important lessons he took away from Stoicism. Enjoy! *** Live Every Day As If It Were Your Last Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher. He once said: "You live as if you were destined to live forever, no ...

The Philosophy Of Stoicism: Five Lessons from Seneca, Musonius Rufus, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Zeno of Citium.

Our brains have an ongoing internal trickle of unease. This wears down our well-being, contributes to anxiety and depression, and makes us turn away from the things that matter to us. And it's based on a lie.
Stop and ask yourself: In this moment, are you still OK? Are you breathing? Is your heart working? Is your mind working? In the daily life, it's possible to access this fundamental sense of all-rightness.

The fundamental sense of all-rightness

You may want more certainty or love. Or you may want less pain or heartache or unemployment.
But meanwhile, underneath all the desires and activities is an awareness that you're doing fine this second. The fear that bad things will happen if you let yourself feel OK is unfounded. You do not need to fear feeling all right.

The feeling underneath all our desires

Sometimes you're really not all right. Maybe something terrible has happened, or your mind is upset. 
Do what you can to ride out the storm. But as soon as possible, notice that the core of you is OK. Settling into this basic sense of okayness is a powerful way to build well-being into your being.

How to build well-being into your being

Settling into a basic sense of okayness is a powerful way to build well-being and resources in your brain and your being says Rick Hanson.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Alfie Easton
@aeaston

How to revive your sense of wonder | Psyche Guides

The Schmuck in My Office

How to Concentrate in a Collaborative Workplace | by James Pothen | NYT Open

Are you a digital nomad? Consider these countries for 2022

What Is The Highest IQ Humanly Possible?

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Alfie Easton@aeaston

How to revive your sense of wonder | Psyche Guides

The Schmuck in My Office

How to Concentrate in a Collaborative Workplace | by James Pothen | NYT Open

Are you a digital nomad? Consider these countries for 2022

What Is The Highest IQ Humanly Possible?

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Alfie Easton
@aeaston