Notes to self

Recommendations and insights based on research, books, films and more

A young girl in a pink hoodie lit by a phone screen, lying on a bed in a dimly lit room at night.

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

The kids forgotten by calls to ban phones

by Alice Gregory

Photo of a person browsing colourful clothes on wooden hangers in a wardrobe, highlighting diverse patterns and textures.

DIFFICULT EMOTIONS

Vintage clothes: a balm for my perfectionism

by Freya Howarth

Painting of a crucifixion scene with a large crowd, a detailed medieval cityscape with mountains and a lake in the background.

ARTISTS AND ART HISTORY

A lesson from the Son of Man’s manhood

by Sam Dresser

Illustration of a colourful green and red parrot perched on a branch, against a plain beige background.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

What I found in one of the tiniest languages

by Hannah H Kim

A microphone in focus with a blurred background of people seated at tables in a dimly lit room.

FEAR AND PHOBIA

A memory hack to help you face your fears

by Christian Jarrett

A silhouette pressing hands on a frosted glass door in an abandoned room with peeling paint on walls and door.

FEAR AND PHOBIA

How scary is it really?

by Matt Huston

A curious brown chicken looking at the camera with several other chickens blurred in the background.

The dissonance of meeting what you eat

by Matt Huston

FOCUS AND ATTENTION

Embrace the monotony

by Hannah Seo

Photo of a boxing match with a standing boxer in the ring and an opponent kneeling behind, lit by overhead lights.

GOALS AND MOTIVATION

Motivation is good, but discipline is better

by Christian Jarrett

A photo showing a person holding a bouquet of mixed flowers wrapped in brown paper, viewed from above and behind.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

The words that make an apology convincing

by Alice Gregory

A switched-off smartphone on a bright yellow surface with fingerprints and smudges on the black screen.

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

A brief escape from social media

by Tamur Qutab

Aerial photo of Würzburg, a European cityscape with historic buildings, church spires and a clock tower under a partly cloudy sky.

Why ‘false authenticity’ is so unsettling

by Sam Dresser

An elderly man seated on a city street as skateboarders perform tricks around him.

Where are you on the ‘happiness curve’?

by Richard Fisher

A man in a tweed jacket viewing a framed German wanted poster on a wall in a museum or gallery setting.

FOCUS AND ATTENTION

The eerie phenomenon that keeps popping up

by Hannah Seo

A person lying in bed under a duvet, arms covering face; bedside table with books, a lamp, a mug and reading glasses.

Sleep is important, but not that important

by Alice Gregory

Page from a book with printed text about society and handwritten notes in the margin, including ’True but only in part‘.

FOCUS AND ATTENTION

The value of scribbling in the margins

by Richard Fisher

An adult and child looking at Santa inside a large snow globe with snowy trees at dusk.

EMOTION REGULATION

Seeing all the parts of a tough situation

by Matt Huston

MIND-BODY INTERACTIONS

How slow breathing calms down your brain

by Christian Jarrett

Photo of a person reading Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” with a red decorative cover while sitting near a window.

HABITS AND ROUTINES

My year of slow-reading War and Peace

by Freya Howarth

A group of office workers turned to face a colleague, clapping and smiling, in a modern meeting room setting.

WORK AND VOCATION

Are you saying ‘thank you’ too effusively?

by Christian Jarrett

Popular

Photo of a boxing match with a standing boxer in the ring and an opponent kneeling behind, lit by overhead lights.

GOALS AND MOTIVATION

Motivation is good, but discipline is better

by Christian Jarrett

A photo showing a person holding a bouquet of mixed flowers wrapped in brown paper, viewed from above and behind.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

The words that make an apology convincing

by Alice Gregory

A switched-off smartphone on a bright yellow surface with fingerprints and smudges on the black screen.

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

A brief escape from social media

by Tamur Qutab

An elderly man seated on a city street as skateboarders perform tricks around him.

Where are you on the ‘happiness curve’?

by Richard Fisher

Aerial photo of Würzburg, a European cityscape with historic buildings, church spires and a clock tower under a partly cloudy sky.

Why ‘false authenticity’ is so unsettling

by Sam Dresser

FOCUS AND ATTENTION

Embrace the monotony

by Hannah Seo

A man in a tweed jacket viewing a framed German wanted poster on a wall in a museum or gallery setting.

FOCUS AND ATTENTION

The eerie phenomenon that keeps popping up

by Hannah Seo

A silhouette pressing hands on a frosted glass door in an abandoned room with peeling paint on walls and door.

FEAR AND PHOBIA

How scary is it really?

by Matt Huston

Popular

Photo of a boxing match with a standing boxer in the ring and an opponent kneeling behind, lit by overhead lights.

GOALS AND MOTIVATION

Motivation is good, but discipline is better

by Christian Jarrett

A photo showing a person holding a bouquet of mixed flowers wrapped in brown paper, viewed from above and behind.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

The words that make an apology convincing

by Alice Gregory

A switched-off smartphone on a bright yellow surface with fingerprints and smudges on the black screen.

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

A brief escape from social media

by Tamur Qutab

People in a small, well-lit Japanese restaurant or bar, with a menu on the wall and beverages on the counter.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

A little Japanese trick for saying ‘no’

by Richard Fisher

People dancing at an outdoor festival, colourful tents in background, clear blue sky overhead.

The beats that make us want to move

by Matt Huston

Three people chatting at a rustic bar in a pub, with a brick interior and various decorations.

Our relationships, in five dimensions

by Matt Huston

Pencil sketches of six faces and profiles on paper including bearded men and a woman with hair tied back.

MEANING AND THE GOOD LIFE

As if

by Sam Dresser

Black and white photo of soldiers and damaged tanks under trees in a wartime setting. One soldier crouches in the foreground.

CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

An unlikely meeting that shaped history

by Sam Dresser

A man with a beard sitting on a sofa with two young children, one resting on his head, in a room with bookshelves.

PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Being a dad has made my brain younger

by Christian Jarrett

A mountain peak with a walking path and hikers, under a clear blue sky with scattered clouds.

WONDER AND THE SUBLIME

The benefits of thinking about deep time

by Richard Fisher

Black and white photo of a man and woman sitting under an umbrella; the woman leans on the man’s shoulder.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

True contact is found in silence

by Sam Dresser

A traffic light showing a green transgender symbol in front of a historic city square with statues and buildings.

COMPASSION AND EMPATHY

To see your home city anew, try this

by Elena Seymenliyska