A new study in the psychology journal Acta Psychologica suggests that improving your working memory changes your perception of time and makes it seem like time moves faster. Working memory controls your ability to pay attention, plan and remember things. It’s also a skill you can improve. More »
If you have trouble remembering long numbers — like phone numbers — Redditor Fealiks shares a simple way to keep everything straight. All you need to do is assign the numbers to letters, and create a phrase that’s easy to remember — just like you did to learn the planets or order of operations in primary school. More »
The clip is a short presentation by Terry Moore at 2005′s TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference. Moore runs New York’s Radius Foundation, which I could try to explain, but is better described by the company itself: “[seeking] new ways of exploring and understanding dissimilar conceptual systems or paradigms”. One of those systems appears to be shoelace-tying, which you’ve likely been doing wrong your whole life, according to Moore. More »
Wired’s Garth Sundem sat down with the Robert Bjork, director of UCLA’s Learning and Forgetting Lab, to discuss how you can best “[pack] things in your brain in a way that keeps them from leaking out”. What he learned? A lot of our basic assumptions are wrong. More »
For many of us, our morning routine consists of getting out of bed a little late, rushing through our morning activities, and then commuting to work while still in a haze of sleep. This isn’t conducive to getting our brains working in the morning, and author Annie Murphy Paul suggests slowing down our morning routine to help boot your brain and solve problems. More »
Many of us at Lifehacker are big fans of video games. Our esteemed Editor-in-Chief, however, is sceptical that gaming offers any value beyond simple entertainment. More often than not, he argues, games are a dangerous time sink. In this post, I hope to convince him — and any of you who may feel the same way about video games — otherwise, arguing that aside from being a great form of entertainment, video games can also relieve anxiety, teach new skills and help you stay motivated. And I’ve got science to back me up. More »
There’s a difference between an experiment and practical use. And there’s a difference between proving a point and doing something of value. If I’ve learned nothing else during the Olive Toil challenge, I have learned that. More »
We’re all busy people, and there’s no doubt that it’s difficult to stick to our goals, especially when it comes to things that demand willpower to work towards, like eating healthier. The key here is that you have a limited supply of willpower, and when it’s gone it’s tough to stay motivated to do the hard things, even if they’re good for us. The solution? Pay yourself now to bolster your motivation later. More »
We’ve all met a person who is always right, and we know how annoying they can be because they’re often wrong. There’s little that’s more annoying than arguing with somebody who is clearly mistaken but won’t admit it. The problem is, sometimes we’re the one in the wrong and we don’t realise it. Everyone has the capacity to become stubborn and unyielding, but also to notice when that happens and stop. Here’s what you can do to recognise and admit fault when it is your own. More »
If you have the opportunity to telecommute regularly, or even work from home every now and again, the temptation can be strong to just put your feet up and forget about work unless you have to check in occasionally, clear out your inbox or dial into a meeting. Occasional slacking is fine, but there’s no faster way to get your remote work privileges revoked than to keep that up. Here’s how to resist the urge and stay motivated, even if there’s no one looking over your shoulder. More »
