75 writing prompts for the curious minds

Many of Ness Labs’ readers want to write more. Oftentimes, people write back saying they would love to build a writing habit, but they don’t know what to write about. Writing prompts may sound cheesy but they’re actually a great way to get started. Here is a living repository of writing prompts you can use … Read More

How much work is enough work

Many people believe the more they work, the more productive they are. But it couldn’t be further from the truth. How much work is enough work? Is there an ideal number of hours you should work everyday? This is an interesting question at the intersection of productivity and time management. And the good news is: … Read More

Don’t pin the butterfly: not all hobbies need to become hustles

A couple of years ago, I got really interested in pu’er tea—a kind of fermented tea produced in China—which can sell for thousands of dollars. I tried some, liked it, read about its history, and then… My mind started racing: why is it so hard to buy pu’er tea in Europe? Maybe I could import … Read More

An introduction to metamodernism: the cultural philosophy of the digital age

The term metamodernism was coined in 1975 by Mas’ud Zavarzade, a writer and researcher, to describe an emerging cultural trend in American literature. Since then, the term has become popular and is frequently discussed in every corner of the Internet. If you are active on Twitter, blogging, using filters and stickers to edit photos before … Read More

Writing 100 articles in 100 days

This is the 100th article I publish since starting my little writing experiment in the summer. Since then, I have published one new article every weekday. That’s 100 articles in 100 days—well, 130 days if you add the weekends, during which I focused on personal writing and journaling. Many people have asked about my writing … Read More

The science of mind mapping: a visual way to make sense of the world

Have you ever struggled to put your thoughts on paper and create connections between concepts? Mind mapping is one of the most effective ways to capture and connect various thoughts. A mind map is a visual diagram that helps you connect information around a central concept. You start from the centre, and then use branches … Read More

Combinational creativity: the myth of originality

Creative people are often seen as a rarity: smart, curious, and able to look at the world with fresh eyes. A common misconception is that creativity cannot be cultivated, and that instead some lucky people have an innate sense of creativity. But this assumption is wrong. According to classical psychology research, there are three main … Read More