Category: Article

Although the article is addressed to people who are considering to start a family (and I am way past that stage), I found this quote very powerful:

“Don’t merely be present with your kids, don’t just “cherish” it (whatever that really means), actively observe and participate because at some point it’ll be the last time they crawl, the last time you give them a bath, the last time they hold your hand.“

Some big truths, but also a very funny read. Read the whole article here: “So you want to have kids…  A one-sided story of what to be prepared for in parenthood”

1. Allow yourself the uncomfortable luxury of changing your mind.
2. Do nothing for prestige or status or money or approval alone.
3. Be generous.
4. Build pockets of stillness into your life. Sleep.
5. When people try to tell you who you are, don’t believe them.
6. Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity.
7. “Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time.”
8. Seek out what magnifies your spirit.
9. Don’t be afraid to be an idealist.

by Maria Popova (Brain Pickings)

Brain Pickings is a site I wish I could be able to read more. I check it often to see new content, but to be frank you have to dedicate some serious time to read and absorb the particular posts.

Founded in 2006 as a weekly email that went out to seven friends and eventually brought online, Brain Pickings is now read by several million readers. Maria Popova, the founder and editor of the popular blog, calls it a “human-powered discovery engine for interestingness”. Popova reads 12 to 15 books a week about culture, art, design or philosophy and writes about enduring ideas that give some insight into what it means to live a meaningful life.

“In October of 2013, as Brain Pickings turned seven, I marked the occasion by looking back on the seven most important things I learned from the thousands of hours spent reading, writing, and living during those first seven years. I shared those reflections not as any sort of universal advice on how a life is to be lived, but as centering truths that have emerged and recurred in the course of how this life has been lived; insights that might, just maybe, prove useful or assuring for others.”

Now, as Brain Pickings turns nine, Popova continues to stand by these reflections, and she adds two more. Read the whole article: 9 Learnings from 9 Years of Brain Pickings

“How to take a caffeine nap:

1) Find perfect nap spot.
2) Grab and drink your favorite caffeine laden beverage.
3) Set your alarm to go off in 15-20mins
4) Don’t delay, take your nap straight away.”

I am a big fan of power-naps and this is a different twist on it. Read the article here.

(via Swissmiss)

“I also pointed out that toilet design is really important. We all use toilets every day, and they need to be the right size, and comfortable to sit on, and you need to be able to reach the paper. Cue lots of giggles and muttering of the word ‘toilet’. Want to get 4-year-olds on-side? Talk about toilets.”

Many times I get asked by my kids, what is it exactly that I do? It is not easy to explain graphic design, especially to young ones.

This funny article tries to explain graphic design to four-year-olds and gets it right.

“Life is a bitch. Then you die. So while staring at my navel the other day, I decided that that bitch happens in four stages.”

– Mark Manson (Author. Thinker. Life Enthusiast.)

An interesting article by Mark Manson about the stages we all go through in our life: Mimicking, Self-Discovery, Commitment και Legacy.

I can now say that I am definitely in Stage Three:

“Then you double down on what you’re best at and what is best to you. You double down on the most important relationships in your life. You double down on a single mission in life, whether that’s to work on the world’s energy crisis or to be a bitching digital artist or to become an expert in brains or have a bunch of snotty, drooling children. Whatever it is, Stage Three is when you get it done.”