Archive for the ‘Lifestyle’ Category

Rethink the Season of Giving

Next Thursday, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and other charities across the US will be fully staffed with smiling-faced, happy volunteers eagerly doling out food and other assistance to those whose need is greatest. Families across the country will come together in the spirit of giving, and will return home beaming with pride and contentment, knowing deep in their hearts that they have made a difference. It’s the finest side of… Continue reading

November 20 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: charity, christmas, giving, holiday, season, thanksgiving, volunteering | 4 comments»

Information Pollution Alert! Living with Data Smog

We are a nation awash in data smog. This is more than just information overload -- it's not just that there's too much information out there for one person to adequately encompass, it's that there's too much data out there to even make out the information clearly, let alone to evaluate and act on that information.What's worse is that unlike normal smog, which is the unintentional byproduct of our need… Continue reading

November 10 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: bias, data-smog, filter, information, information-overload, news, science, truth | 12 comments»

Your Happiness Plan

A Quick Survey Before we get under way with today’s briefer-than-normal chat, I want to conduct a little research on the run. Put up your hand if happiness is one of your aims in life. And no, participation is not optional at Stepcase Lifehack today. Yep, even you scaredy cats. Okay, keep ‘em up so I can count… 1001, 1002, 1003… yep; that’s all of you. Guessed as much. So it seems that… Continue reading

November 2 2009 | By Craig | Tagged: happiness, life, materialism, personal-development, planning | 17 comments»

Being a Man in the 21st Century (Part 2)

Earlier this week, I began a discussion of the way that manhood in American society is changing. Today, I want to revisit the topic with some of my own ideas about how these changes could lead to a more enriching and satisfying take on masculinity.Before I do that, though, I want to say how thrilled I was at the response the first post got – I had never expected… Continue reading

October 30 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: culture, identity, manhood, masculinity, men, work | 42 comments»

Being a Man in the 21st Century (Part 1)

Manhood is changing. It's as simple, and as complicated, as that.Two recent events prompted me to write about manhood today. The first was the release of The Shriver Report, a study of the status of women in the United States. The second was the publication of The Art of Manliness, a book of advice on manhood based on the popular blog of the same name.The Shriver Report's… Continue reading

October 27 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: body, culture, identity, manhood, masculinity, men, work | 30 comments»

What Will You Learn Today?

A Typical Life? I gotta be honest, I really like my life. Of course I have my moments (being human and all), but for the most part, it rocks. Not a day goes by where I am not thankful for, or totally aware of, what I have and what I’ve been given. Of course it’s not always a normal, conventional or typical life by any means (but who has that?) –… Continue reading

October 23 2009 | By Craig | Tagged: attitude, learning, lifelong-learning, personal growth | 14 comments»

The Nature of Commitment

In a comment on my recent post about breaking up, someone asked if I'd write a follow-up about staying together. I've actually written about successful relationships before, based less on my own experience than on the work of relationship psychologists, so I'll just refer you there if you're looking for relationship advice. But thinking about what goes into a committed relationship got… Continue reading

October 14 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: choice, commitment, mission, personal growth, purpose | 12 comments»

The Perfect Breakup?

Someone on our Skribit page (that’s the little widget on the right-hand side of Lifehack’s pages where you can make requests, which I or other Lifehack writers look at for ideas) requested a post on how to act when you break up with someone. While it’s never easy to break up with someone (assuming it’s someone you actually do like), I feel like I’ve been through enough breakups to… Continue reading

October 12 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: breakup, dating, love, relationship, romance, spouse | 17 comments»

Face Adversity with a Smile

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, ‘You mean fortunately.’ He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I… Continue reading

October 7 2009 | By Paul | Tagged: adversity, attitude, bader, confront, hardship, keller, positive, problem, thinking | 13 comments»

Self Doubt: A Disease that Doesn’t Discriminate!

What if… What if I forget the words when I stand up there? What if I go completely blank? What if I totally suck? What if I look or sound stupid? What if they hate me? What if I’m not pretty enough? Cool enough? Smart enough? Qualified enough? Experienced enough? Talented enough? Thin enough? What if they see through my act? What if they discover what I’m really like? What if… Continue reading

October 6 2009 | By Craig | Tagged: fear, procrastination, self, self-doubt, worry | 17 comments»

Dating, Living, and Being Your Best Self

In a comment on my post last week about living your life as if you were on a date, a reader named Jean posted this comment: Thanks for this article! But regarding the 'be yourself' advice... I've always wondered, which self? I have a best self who is on time, considerate, well dressed, brave, follows my dreams, etc. I also have a worst self who is late, selfish, lazy, a slob… Continue reading

September 23 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: dating, personality, relationship, self, self-improvement | 20 comments»

10 Tools for the Non-Handy Person’s Toolbox

I’m not handy. I wish I were, sometimes – I’d love to craft a bookcase, patio bench, or computer hutch with my hands, or even fix a busted electrical outlet. But I can’t – somewhere along the line I missed out on developing that talent, and at this point in my life learning to be more handy is simply too far down on my list of priorities to be very… Continue reading

September 21 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: home, housework, maintenance, repair, tool | 17 comments»

More Ways to Go on a Date with Life

Yesterday I suggested that the rules that apply to successful dating could be applied more widely to life in general. After all, when we go on a date, we want our partner to see us at our best – and what could be better than being at your best all the time?With that in mind, I listed 6 guidelines that apply as well to life as to dating, and… Continue reading

September 17 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: dating, happiness, life, personal-development, self-improvement | 16 comments»

Go on a Date with Life

A lot has been written about dating. Some people rally enjoy dating, but for many, dating seems like a horrific trauma. Consider how many people stay in unsatisfying or even outright bad relationships because they’re even more terrified by the prospect of being “out there” again.Dating can be a chore because it seems so far removed from real life. But I wonder if there aren’t some everyday lessons we can… Continue reading

September 16 2009 | By Dustin | Tagged: dating, happiness, life, personal-development, self-improvement | 23 comments»

Five Things Every Parent Should Do for Their Young Children

Babies are wonderful bundles of joy. They are easy to love. Nature has cunningly designed them to be irresistible. This helps new parents cope with the hardships of getting up at night and caring for their infant's immediate needs, which tend to be food, drink, exhalation of wind and clean diapers. So far so good. It is the next part that is more difficult and which many parents… Continue reading

September 15 2009 | By Paul | Tagged: child, child-rearing, duty, parent, parenting, toddler, upbringing | 13 comments»