Recently, I carried out an investigation to discover what it was that prevented people from journalling.     1     So, today, I want to introduce a very simple tool—The MicroMOVEment Wheel. It will help you pick up your journal even at times when you really don’t feel like it.

    2     She describes creating this method so she could use it as a creative planning tool for her writing projects and goals. While it was originally aimed at writers, you can use this technique to help you complete any project in a fun and creative way.

    3     Here’s how it works. Take a blank sheet of paper and: draw a large circle, and then another smaller circle in the middle. In the centre circle, write down what you are inspired to achieve. Remember, journalling does not need to feel like a chore in your day. So come up with descriptions for your journalling that are inspiring and energising.     4     These are what SARK refers to as the MicroMOVEments. Each MicroMOVEment is five minutes in length. So, in the case of journalling, that would represent a minimum of up to five minutes of journalling in one sitting, on any given day.

Let’s say you’ re new to journalling. By setting aside five minutes out of your day, you could write one word in your notebook that sums up a feeling or an experience.     5     The idea of the MicroMOVEment is to create easy steps to get your journal writing or writing projects moving. When you keep the steps small, it will become doable and achievable.

【推荐3】Classic literature (文学作品) includes older works that have experienced the test of time and that are still widely read today. Whether you’re a student or just an eager reader hoping to explore classic literature, you may be wondering where to begin.

Read summaries of what the work is about. You can find descriptions or summaries of classic works of literature online.     1     Knowing a bit about the plot (情节), characters, and setting may make it easier for you to follow and understand the writing when you begin reading.

    2     Even if you struggle with the text, it is important to stick with it. After sticking with it for a while, the language, setting, and characters may start to become more familiar to you.

If you’re trying to gain a better understanding of a difficult text, underlining passages may not be enough. Instead, try making comments or notes in the margins (页边空白).     3    

After you finish a chapter, write a brief summary of everything important that happened. Make sure you address the major plot points, how those points influence each character, and how that chapter fits into the context of the larger book.     4     This will help test your understanding of what you’ve read.

After you finish reading a book, it may be useful to learn about what others have learned from the text.     5     You can read commentary and critical (批判性的) analyses of the book online. These often have information on themes, symbols, characters, and more, which may help you think about the book on a deeper level.

【推荐2】Why We Hate the Feeling of Failure and How It Affects Us

Loss aversion is the idea that a potential loss has greater weight in a person's mind than the possible gain. People seek to avoid failure and the negative feelings they expect will come from such a loss.

    1    . Marketers want to understand the emotions surrounding loss so they can word advertisements in a way that prompts consumers to feel they need to buy a product to avoid negative feelings.

More recently, social scientists have turned their at tent on to how loss aversion can hinder people from performing in their daily lives.    2    .

Sports and athletic performance was one of the first areas of focus. A study in May 2023 looked at how adult athletes were hindered by a fear of failure. It found that athletes who feared failure tended to approach an athletic event and appraise(评估) it for potential losses.

Losses weren't just related to the final numbers on the scoreboard. Rather, some athletes approached a practice or a game and saw it as a potential to perform poorly and lose standing with their coach, teammates or fellow athletes.    3    Scholars are also considering how a fear of failure impacts academics. In a 2015 article, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 33 studies that measured the relationship between procrastination and academic performance.

Not surprisingly, procrastination was shown to decrease academic performance.    4    .Rather, this type of I'll-get to-it later mentality was a loss aversion strategy. When a student didn't feel confident or competent in completing a task, whether it was writing an essay or studying for an exam, they procrastinated to delay feeling like a failure.

While our fear of loss may impact our mindset and whether or not we pursue something new, if we let that fear take hold, then we’ve already lost. There for, don’t let fear of failure keep you from trying something new.

【推荐3】Living a joyful life does not mean denying painful emotions. Instead, it means cultivating a mindset(心态) that prefers an optimistic view of the world. At the same time, it means developing healthy ways to deal with difficult emotions. Here are five reasons why joy is a powerful life choice.

Joy Improves Physical Health. In recent years, science continues to prove the link between emotional well being and physical health. According to a study in BMC Cancer, researchers found that happiness and optimism may protect against breast cancer.     1    

Joyful People are More Productive.     2     Research by Harvard Business Review found that people who work with a positive mindset may improve work performance on nearly every level including productivity, creativity, and commitment.

    3     . If you want to improve the relationships in your life, become a happier person. Positive psychology experts say that cultivating happiness through daily habits builds healthier relationships. When you have a positive outlook, you tend to approach the people in your life from a place of gratitude and love. This helps the other feel more valued.

Joy Boosts Creativity. Perhaps the typical miserable image of artists has led some to feel that misery may inspire art, yet this is not the recipe for creativity.     4     . According to Scientific American, happy people are open to all sorts of ideas, and people are most creative when they are in a good mood.

Joy Creates More Joy!     5     Well, it is also true with joy. When you surround yourself with positive people, you experience more happiness in your own life. By spending more time with happy people, you may feel happier, which inspires even more joy in those you meet!