A pact is a precommitment to an outcome that acts as a firewall against distraction. You can think of it as a sort of “habit bet .” It helps you stay on track by setting huge consequences if you don't.

The short answer is that it depends on how much you drink. There is no evidence that having a drink or two can render any of the current COVID-19 vaccines less effective. Some studies have even found that over the longer term, small or moderate amounts of alcohol might actually benefit the immune system by reducing inflammation.

A book is made of books. “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading; a man will turn over half a library to make one book,” Samuel Johnson said. As Ryan Holiday was putting together the bibliography for Courage , he counted something like 300 books he was directly sourcing from.

Sometimes, “I don’t have time” can be a smokescreen for: “I don’t want to” or “I’m afraid.” When it comes to pursuing life goals, it’s easy to cite lack of time as a reason to not get started. But what if you dedicated just 10 or 15 minutes a day to start work on your next big goal?

The Instinctive Drowning Response—so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect.

There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. Here's what it looks like: