Super8: Eight intriguing articles from February.

How many times have you dreamed there were more hours in the day? Time to catch up. To do all you want – and still get some sleep? The good news is, this year, 2020, you get that time. It’s not just a few extra hours. It’s an extra ‘leap year’ day.

Days are precious. Which is why we’re giving you the opportunity to make the most of this extra one. It falls on a Saturday, so it’s the perfect opportunity for a little self-discovery. Maybe the chance to start a new pastime. Or hone your skills. Because, whether you’re inspired to take up hiking, write more, or discover what it’s like to go viral, this could be the first day of the rest of your life. So, take a moment (you have extra) to delve into Super8 with me in February.

1. Five ways hiking is good for you.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Jill Suttie. 
• Contributor: Daniel Banik.

The warm sun on your face, the sound of the wind rushing through the trees overhead, and the earthy feel of the trail under your boots. Hiking is enjoyable. It’s also good for you. It’s proven.

Not only does it oxygenate your heart, it helps to keep your mind sharper, your body calmer, your creativity more alive, and your relationships happier. Read Jill Suttie’s compelling scientific facts about hiking, and you’ll be itching to grab a water bottle, a backpack, and head out on the trail.

2. How to write 10,000 words a week.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Drew Magary. 
• Contributed by: Claire Grainger.

We’re all writers, whether we like it or not. Think about it. A writer is someone who structures their thoughts and puts them into words. That’s something we all do every single day. In meetings, negotiating with our kids, talking to the sales person who has called for the third time this week.

Sure, we’re not writing them down. That’s where this article steps in. It helps us to understand how we can utilise these partially formed thoughts. As the basis for a story, a blog, an article. After all writing is thinking, writing is seeing, writing is listening, writing is living. And life is constantly providing material.

3. Curiosity is the secret to a happy life.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Markham Heid.
• Contributor: Bridget Noonan.

When you do the same things over and over, life starts to become routine. You go to the same meetings, talk to the same people, eat the same food. The spark goes out of life, and your creative energy fizzles. The problem? You’ve lost your sense of curiosity. Fortunately, it seems, this doesn’t have to be the end of the story.

There are many ways you can feed your curiosity.

While there is safety and security in the familiar, we discover that, if we can embrace curiosity and the experiences that nourish it, we may just find the elixir for a happy and more fulfilling life.

4. The decoy effect: how you are influenced to choose without really knowing it.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Gary Mortimer.
• Contributor: Daniel Banik.

Not many of us care to admit it, but we are all being manipulated. Influenced. Pushed. To make the ‘right’ choices as a consumer. The decoy effect is just one of these strategies, using cognitive bias to influence decision making.

Put simply, it seems when there are only two options, we will tend to make decisions according to our personal preferences. But, when offered another strategical decoy option, we will be more likely to choose the more expensive (or more challenging) of the two original options. Here we start to understand how it works – and why not all uses of the decoy effect are a bad thing.

5. Don’t feel like an expert? Share anyway.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Sara Wachter-Boettcher.
• Contributed by: Rowan Barnes.

‘We desperately need more voices, and different voices, if we want this industry to change.’ Or so says Sara Wachter-Boettcher, as she encourages the ‘non experts’ to share their thoughts and ideas on tech and design. She’s right, of course. And here she makes compelling case for why we should all share our knowledge.

Sarah investigates why it’s harder to learn from people with tons of expertise. And she explains how, when we are ‘relatively’ new to a subject, we bring a much clearer understanding of the level we need to talk at.

So no matter how little you think you know, she explains that you know more than you did. And by sharing it, someone else who ‘googles it’ will be able to understand it a little more.

6. My 72 hours in a viral tweet vortex: a diary.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Fab Giovanetti.
• Contributed by: Nina Wan.

Going viral. Briefly. Apparently it’s like performing a one-hit song for millions of people. Here is an insight into the whole affair. An account of the ups and downs of one such accidental journey. The excitement, the disruption (notifications hastily switched off).

At first, it’s exhilarating. But very quickly it’s out of control and you’re not sure where it could end up.

For all intents and purposes, going ‘viral’ is like pushing a ‘runaway train’ button. In this case – for a 72 hour ‘heart in mouth’ journey – until the train slowly rolls to a halt. And life returns to reassuring normality.

7. Six habits of super learners.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Thomas Oppong.  
• Contributed by: Sarah El-Atm.

In a fast-changing world, mastering the art of self-educate and improve is essential. Learning a new discipline has become a regular occurrence. Which is why learning techniques to make the whole process more enjoyable, are a must.

From the importance of reading, to the mindset needed to achieve results, this article helps to identify the best ways to process, retain and remember the new information, to enable us to master a new discipline.

8. Why is everyone obsessed with TikTok?

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Fab Giovanetti.
• Contributed by: Rachel Antoniadou.

Since launching in early 2018, TikTok has been covered by seemingly every major news publication and racked up millions of downloads globally.

As conversations about popular videos and dances reverberate through the hallways of schools, we discover why it’s just so popular. We discover how TikTok has carved out a social role as an incredible creative platform. A platform that forces kids to get wild and crazy to stand out.

As it grows, it’s a creativity that’s intriguing us all.