Welcome to this edition of our Tools for Thought interview series, where we chat with founders on a mission to help us think better and achieve more without sacrificing our mental health. Ariel Garten is the founder of InteraXon, makers of Muse, a clinical-grade EEG device used by meditators and researchers around the world. Passionate … Read More
Our world is seldom at rest. It often feels like we have to run to keep up with life’s increasing pace, which can lead to an overwhelming feeling of stress and anxiety. This is where mindfulness meditation comes into the equation. Meditation does not only help in gaining focus and perspective, it also helps in … Read More
Hustle culture uses speed as a measure of performance. How fast can you ship a new feature? How many prospective clients can you call in an hour? How much of your day can you devote to work? If you’re not fast, are you even being productive? This harmful mindset results in burnout, poor decision-making, and … Read More
From the doctrines of Confucianism to the cardinal virtues of Christianism, modern humanity has always sought to define the most desirable traits of mind and character. For the ancient Greeks, sophrosyne was an important concept describing a sound mind and an excellent character—a combination of moderation, self-control, and temperance. In today’s chaotic world, this ancient … Read More
“Sorry, I spaced out, what were you saying?” you ask your friend. It has happened to all of us: we are physically in place, while our mind is in another one. Mind wandering, while it can take many forms, is an experience of thought shared by all of humanity. Some people see it as a … Read More
Mindful productivity is a sustainable way to work and think. It’s not a product, it’s not an app, it’s not a system—it’s a flexible roadmap. While mindful productivity is first and foremost a set of principles anyone can apply to work better and think better, many of the habits and routines it prescribes are rooted … Read More
As someone who suffers from time anxiety—the constant fear that it’s too late to learn something new, to start a new project, to change direction—I often push myself to be as productive as humanly possible. Our society has been built on productivity principles. However, since the turn of the century, many entrepreneurs, researchers, and managers … Read More
Free will, which is considered by many central to human nature, has been studied as far back as ancient Greece by philosophers and scientists alike. It is most commonly defined as the capacity to choose between different courses of action in an unimpeded way—that is to say the ability to make choices in which the … Read More
When going through tough times, our automatic reaction is to complain and dwell on negative events, which can result in even more anxiety and unhappiness. The word gratitude comes from Latin gratus, which means ”pleasing” or “thankful” depending on the context. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for the people, experiences, and things we have. While … Read More
The news and opinion website Vox just released a new mini-series on Netflix. It’s five 20-minute episodes, all about how the mind works. In typical Vox style, The Mind, Explained mixes cultural narratives, philosophy, and light science to ask interesting questions. I spent the evening watching these and wanted to share my notes. Overall, this … Read More