The Best of Ness Labs

Interoception is how we understand our body’s inner sensations. It’s our brain’s ability to sense what’s happening inside the body and adjust accordingly. And recent research suggests that this sixth…

«our brains didn’t evolve to merely react to the world around us, but rather to try to predict what will happen to us next based on both external and internal signals.»

What happens in liminal spaces? Doubt, discomfort, unfamiliarity, anxiety. But also growth, change, and discovery. Liminal spaces offer all of the ingredients for creativity.

«What happens in liminal spaces? Doubt, discomfort, unfamiliarity, anxiety. But also growth, change, and discovery. Liminal spaces offer all of the ingredients for creativity.»

Racing pulse, tense muscles, dry mouth, restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating… The symptoms of anxiety are many, but sometimes we can’t pinpoint why exactly we experience this panicky…

Meaningfulness is associated with greater well-being, and scientists have even devised ways to measure meaning in life.

«However, one of the strongest predictors of how meaningful people perceive their lives to be is… Being reminded of valued sources of meaning.»

JOMO—the joy of missing out—is a way to live an intentional life. It’s realising that FOMO is distracting you from your life’s purpose.

«Associated with a fear of regret, FOMO is the apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which you are absent.»

Fear setting involves identifying and defining your fears so that you can overcome them. It's a process of reflection to step away from the everyday grind to gain perspective on your fears.

«The good news is that if you can identify which fears are rational, and which are irrational, you can exert some level of control over them.»

Self-reflection should not be reserved for our personal lives only. It can also be richly rewarding for our professional careers.

Many of us would like to have more time to read, but life can get in the way of picking up a book. What are strategies that actually work?

«However, speed reading limits your comprehension of the novel, reducing the accuracy of what you read and hindering how much you retain of the story»

Proprioceptive writing is a self-reflection method combining meditation and writing, two of the most effective ways to tap into the inner self.

«This process combines meditation and writing, two of the most effective ways to tap into the inner self.»

The present bias is our tendency to seize short-term opportunities, settling for a small present reward rather than waiting for a larger future reward.

«staying mindful of your long-term goals so you don’t fall prey to the dangers of instant gratification»

Learn how to think better with a guide on decision-making frameworks, cognitive biases, mental models, and tools for thought.

«metacognitive skills allow people to bring their thought processes to the foreground, so they can be analysed, and potentially improved.»

When reading a book, taking notes interrupts our reading flow. There is a fine balance between taking too many notes and taking too few notes.

«Importing these ideas into my note-taking system is a way to create a dialogue between the authors whose work I have read.»

There's a note-taking app for everyone. The challenge: it's hard to decide which one's the best for your use case and your note-taking style.

When talking about creativity, many people will tell you: “Think outside the box!” The catchphrase is so common in management consulting and business environments, it has become a bit of a cliché.…

«Thinking inside the box often provokes resistance as it runs counter to some of the most ubiquitous intuitions about innovation. However, it’s a formidable creative thinking tool which is actually fun to use.»

When facing a difficult dilemma, Creative Problem Solving offers a structured method to help you find an innovative and effective solution.

«With brainstorming, Osborn suggested that it’s better to bring every idea you have to the table, including the wildest ones, because with just a little modification, the outrageous ideas may later become the most plausible solutions. In his own words: “It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one.”»

Unfinished tasks can overwhelm us or motivate us. These contradictory experiences are due to the Zeigarnik and the Ovsiankina effects.

«compared to a task that has not yet been started, individuals have a stronger urge to complete interrupted or unfinished assignments.»

Temptation bundling is a productivity technique that involves combining an activity that gives you instant gratification, such as watching TV, with one that is beneficial but has a delayed reward,…

«trying to reply to important work emails while watching one of your favourite TV shows may not be the best combination, as your concentration levels are likely to be affected.»

When negative thinking becomes the norm, it can contribute to mental health problems including social anxiety, low self-esteem, and even depression. To avoid falling into that pattern, let’s explore…

«when you’re already feeling anxious or depressed, succumbing to negative thought patterns is unfortunately likely to worsen the way you feel.»

Motivation only starts to build again once we have taken the first steps and gained some momentum in our task. It's all about getting started and consistently taking action, making sure we get back on…

«three innate psychological needs which must be satisfied to enhance self-motivation and mental health: competence, autonomy and relatedness.»

We rarely lack good intentions. Establishing habits, however, can feel like a struggle, and there’s often a gap between intention and execution.

«Apply the “never miss twice” principle»

Our search for purpose can be associated with psychological distress, such as worry, fear, stress, frustration, and even jealousy. But we can make the search a lot less excruciating by applying simple…

«purpose has become a choice instead of a calling, we are no longer provided with a map outlining what it looks like to live “the good life”.»

Kyūdō, the Japanese martial art of archery, offers an alternative philosophy where aims matter more than goals, and where success is the process itself.

«It is not the target that matters. It is not the finish line that matters. It is the way we approach the goal that matters. Everything is aiming.”»

A digital detox is a period in which a person voluntarily refrains from using digital devices including smartphones, computers and social media platforms. However, recent research has shown that…

«The internet has made it possible to talk at length with strangers who share your passion for any subject—make the most of it»

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,” once said Aristotle. Introspection is the act of looking inwards to examine one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings.

«Reflecting on past experiences may help us to recall similar situations in which we either solved an issue or found our attempts fell short.»