The Optimist Today
These three strategies will help you beat procrastination
One explanation for why procrastination can rule our lives and pull us in has to do with a behavioral economics term called “time inconsistency.” Time inconsistency refers to the tendency of the human brain to value immediate rewards more highly than future rewards. When you make plans for Read More...
Community solar projects are finally including low-income households
Although community solar projects are on the rise in America, there’s one major flaw: less than half of US community solar projects have any participation from low-income households, and of the projects that do include lower-earning families, only about 5 percent involved a sizable share above 10 Read More...
What educators can learn from the elementary school Lebron James set up
The elementary school that superstar basketball player Lebron James set up in his hometown of Akron, Ohio isn’t like other schools connected to celebrities. That’s mainly because the I Promise school, as it’s known, is not a charter school run by a private operator but a public school Read More...
The ‘electric quadricycle’ could soon replace delivery trucks in busy cities
The air quality is really bad in cities like London and the traffic is really slow. Meanwhile, with the growth of online shopping, there are more and more delivery trucks clogging the streets. That's where Electric Assisted Vehicles, or EAV, come in to play. The company just introduced an electric Read More...
Pro surfing just became one of the first US sports to pay men and women equally
The fight to achieve equal pay for both men and women has won a battle in a rather unlikely place: The World Surf League’s Championship Tour. When Stephanie Gilmore won the 2018 Rip Curl Pro competition, she earned $65,000 for her victory, while her male counterpart, Italo Ferreira, got $100,000 Read More...
Struggling with leisure guilt? Here are 5 ways to deal with it
Have you ever tried to enjoy some time away from your daily obligations only to feel guilty for doing so? If you have, you’re not alone. Plenty of people feel guilty when they try to take a moment off to relax, even after working all day on something. And while this might say something positive Read More...
This stylish cafe is made almost entirely out of cardboard
Lowering the environmental impact of the construction industry means finding new materials to build with. In India, an architecture studio turned to an unlikely material to build a beautiful cafe: cardboard. Apart from the core, shell, and appliances in the cafe, everything has been made from Read More...
Germany fancies turning coal plants into giant batteries that store clean energy
As clean energy continues to rise in Germany, the country’s massive coal plants are becoming increasingly idle. But instead of letting those coal plants sit there and rot, Germany wants to refashion the plants as giant batteries for storing wind and solar power. Germany aims to phase out coal Read More...
Scientists are looking to the “immortal” jellyfish for cure to brain disease
Off the coast of Japan, Panama, Italy, Spain, and Florida, it is possible to find a special species of jellyfish the size of your pinky nail… if you look closely. The species is known as Turritopsis dohrnii, and scientists who have studied it closely believe it can live forever. How? In a process Read More...
Over-apologizing can undermine your confidence. Here’s what to say instead
If you’re someone who knows the value of a good apology–not just for mending fences but also for strengthening relationships in every area of life–you’re way ahead of most people. But if you apologize constantly for every little thing–whether or not it’s warranted–listen up. You may Read More...