Self Improvement

Curated by our editorsStories to fuel your mind

Why You Need One Meaningful Social Interaction a Day

And six other strategies for a healthy “social biome.”

Constantly Scrolling on Your Phone? Why We Can’t Stand Feeling Bored

In one study, nearly half of participants left alone for 15 minutes with no stimulation chose to have an electric shock.

A Psychologist Explains a Simple Technique to Declutter

Many adults struggle with clutter even if they do not meet the clinical criteria for hoarding disorder.

30 Things to Do After a Breakup

One thing to keep in mind if you got dumped on breakup day is that no matter how bad your breakup is, someone else has an even worse story. Sure, it feels awful, but you aren't the first person to get dumped or to dump someone.

The 5-Minute Fix That Finally Canceled My Unwanted Junk Mail for Good

The secret to stopping junk mail, unsolicited credit card offers, and retail catalogs is actually quite easy.

Is Agnes Callard Making You Uncomfortable?

The non-modest mission of her sprightly new book, Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life, is to develop a strand of ethical thought that she labels “Neo-Socratic,” and which departs entirely from the prevailing ethical systems of Kant, Mill, and Aristotle.

I'm a Cleaning Editor, and These Are the Most Life-Changing Tips I've Learned Over the Past 10 Years

I'm pretty lucky I can say I genuinely love my job. As a home editor, I get to write about all the fun things, like decorating, organizing, gardening, etc. But cleaning is probably the area I’m most passionate about, and I’ve been writing about it for over 10 years now.

Snobs, Swots and Hacks

When we think of the fashions of the 1890s, several objects come to mind: the tennis racquet, the golfing cap, the Daily Mail, a full-length Singer Sargent portrait, The Diary of a Nobody. In 1896, A. & C.

Two Simple Ways to Remove Stains From Wood Floors

Like any surface, a wood floor can get stained and dirty, but you have to be really careful with how you clean it. You shouldn't use harsh chemicals, whether your floor is sealed or unsealed, because you don't want to damage the wood itself, but that leaves you with fewer options.

To grow as a leader, try embracing these three personas

We live in a world that is saturated with leadership wisdom—from countless books to endless streams of think pieces—yet the gap between what leaders know and what they do is as wide as ever. The thing is, leadership transformation is hard. It takes courage to step outside the status quo.

Discover More Topics

I’ve Been Working Out a Lot. My Wife Absolutely Hates the Biggest Side Effect.

How to Do It is Slate’s sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. It’s anonymous! I’ve been happily married to my wife for 10 years. I have recently joined a gym and have gotten fantastic results regarding my health, mental well-being, and sexual performance.

Six ways to make friendships easier — and more fun

I am a relationship-based therapist, but like anyone, I can be lured by the illusion that friendship should be logistically simple. But I know from research that the restorative power of true connection requires effort.

Letter from Manhattan 2 

This is an excerpt from Take My Name But Say It Slow by Thomas Dai, published by W.W. Norton and on sale January 21, 2025. It was edited and adapted for publication on Longreads. Two things happened to me right before I moved to China in 2017: I fell in love, and I witnessed a solar eclipse.

The NEAT Effect: How Small Movements Can Lead to Big Weight Loss

If you’re looking to lose some weight this year, you’ve likely made plans to reduce your calories and hit the gym hard.

Ease the Tax Bite When You Tap Retirement Accounts

A key part of retirement planning is knowing how to tap retirement accounts without running up a huge tax bill. Retirement brings so many questions.

Curated by our editorsStories to fuel your mind

Why You Need One Meaningful Social Interaction a Day

Constantly Scrolling on Your Phone? Why We Can’t Stand Feeling Bored

A Psychologist Explains a Simple Technique to Declutter

30 Things to Do After a Breakup

The 5-Minute Fix That Finally Canceled My Unwanted Junk Mail for Good

Popular with Pocket readersStories from across the web

Is Agnes Callard Making You Uncomfortable?

I'm a Cleaning Editor, and These Are the Most Life-Changing Tips I've Learned Over the Past 10 Years

Snobs, Swots and Hacks

Two Simple Ways to Remove Stains From Wood Floors

To grow as a leader, try embracing these three personas

Discover More Topics

I’ve Been Working Out a Lot. My Wife Absolutely Hates the Biggest Side Effect.

Six ways to make friendships easier — and more fun

Letter from Manhattan 2

The NEAT Effect: How Small Movements Can Lead to Big Weight Loss

Ease the Tax Bite When You Tap Retirement Accounts

Discover More Topics

Letter from Manhattan 2 