Sometimes my brain can be frustratingly irresponsive, even when I do everything right. I close the door to my study and leave my phone on the other side, along with the cats. I close all browsers except for Soft Murmur and prepare my notes.

Yet my brain just won’t focus. And soon I find myself distracted by the only thing I didn’t hide or remove, like the overflowing camera roll unwisely iClouded to my laptop, or dust on the top bookshelves.

And ironically, it was also through procrastination that I discovered Cal Newport’s book Deep Work some time ago. In it, the author explains why many people often battle this problem. …

Books have been changing our lives for centuries. Many other ways of communication and knowledge sharing eventually turn obsolete. Most new inventions succumb to technology development as fast as they boom. But unlike post pigeons, landlines, CDs, or fax machines, books have always survived.

Mindblowingly, books have kept their pole position over entire centuries. They continue to inspire millions without any signs of stopping. Endless streams of new releases still educate, empower, and entertain people just as much today as they always have. …

Make it a habit, they said. You have tried. Make it fun, they said. You have tried. Just push through with it, they said, and boy you have tried.

But your motivation pool is not infinitely full and inviting. The levels fluctuate, the water gets muddy. The struggle gets real.

You are not alone. Many people become advanced avoiders after first trying extremely hard to make exercise work. And if you are not already a happy exercise bunny who jumps out of bed excited to grab the running shoes (how I wish I were!), your willpower alone might not be enough to keep you going long-term. Just like that motivation pool, human willpower is not an evergreen resource. …

Humans need change. Change fuels growth and contributes heavily to who we become as we walk through life.

Yet, making big life-shaping decisions can be one of the most daunting processes to go through. Sure, there are times when you just know. But what about all the other times? The times when even the most extensive list of pros and cons leaves you none the wiser?

Often the pros sound super tempting, but they still don’t convince you to wave your comfort zone goodbye. You try to ask sober, rational questions, and still can’t find answers. Doubts creep in. Risking the cons feels heavy after all, and who says the grass will really be greener on the other side? …

I have been a raving fan of The Minimalists ever since their book Everything That Remains gave me the final nudge to quit my corporate job in 2017.

While waiting for the release of their new documentary Less Is Now, I returned to the coffee-stained pages of that book. The faded highlights in sections I’d marked surprisingly brought back vivid feelings. This book once helped me realize a change was possible.

And it also reminded me of what minimalism is not.

Minimalism isn’t about echoing rooms, empty cupboards, or worrying if owning ten t-shirts is still minimalist. Forget about rules. You can tailor minimalism to fit you like a fine suit. …

The world isn’t binary. Life isn’t black and white. Striving for unrealistic perfection gives us meltdowns.

Any day is a good day to fight old and engrained views that limit us as well as others, but somehow this year has made them feel more urgent. As if a global shift in consciousness is now vital for our survival as a species. And while a global change might feel unrealistic and daunting, every step towards growth we take as individuals means progress.

Out of the many new books released this year, the following are truly eye-opening and empowering. These books reflect on the experience of injustices, and they call for action. They predict the inevitable and challenge the outdated, offering a solid, friendly base for refining the way we see the world and ourselves. …

Next door to us lives a guy who is the embodiment of happy confidence. Whenever he walks past our windows, he’s singing out loud to his headphones. His voice is mostly out of tune, but that doesn’t matter; it’s his energy that catches my eye.

Unbeatable optimism is his signature vibe. He could be out there battling a hurricane and horizontal rain and still be singing. Day by day, lockdown or not, he refuses to give in and turn miserable.

Well, I love him. I always take a moment to listen when I hear his voice coming. He makes me smile. …

Period poverty exists everywhere. Even in countries like the UK and the US, around 10% of young girls are forced to regularly skip school, because their family budget has to prioritize food over sanitary products. And since the pandemic started, the demand for menstrual products in UK foodbanks has risen dramatically.

Schools and foodbanks are helping the best they can. But they can only go so far without government support.

Scotland has become the first country to finally say enough. Here, Rosalind Pagan describes how it feels to live in a world where periods are free.

The Period Products Free Provision Scotland Bill made local authorities responsible to make period products available for everyone who needs them. This means Scotland is now a world where period poverty doesn’t sabotage young people’s right to learn. This is a thrilling step forward for people with periods everywhere. Will other countries follow suit?