Learning

A Practical Framework to Create and Break Habits

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Reading Time: 14 minutes Habits are behaviours we repeat regularly or automatically. The good side of habits is that they can act as energy savers. We don’t focus on them while performing them. Take, for example, brushing teeth: we have to remind ourselves to be mindful of this action. Change your hand, and suddenly, brushing teeth becomes something novel and no longer a habitual activity. Imagine the mental load of getting ready in the morning if we hadn’t encoded each step of the morning schedule as a habit. …

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Letters to my Daughter: Myths and Tips to Strategically Distinguish Between Careers and Passions

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Reading Time: 10 minutes My dear daughter, you are still so incredibly young. But no sooner than I catch my breath for one moment and puff, you will be quickly wondering: what should I do with my life? What job should I pursue? Should I follow my passion? After all, isn’t what they say “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”?  No, my dear daughter, following your passion is terrible career advice. Focus instead on building rare and valuable …

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Study Shows Khan Academy Kids Application Improves Pre-Literacy Skills

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Reading Time: 2 minutes It is no secret how much I appreciate the Khan Academy Kids mobile application. I’ve talked about it in this article, where I mentioned it is the only application our daughter is using. In a randomized controlled trial, the researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recruited 49 four- and five-year-old preschoolers and their primary caregivers, 45 mothers and four fathers. Families had an annual median income of $24,000. Before the study started, children’s pre-literacy skills were assessed using the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL). Children were …

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