You have too many tabs open

Yes, you

March 28, 2022

Hey there —

How many tabs do you have open right now? 👀

Chances are it’s in the double digits.

Most of us are digital pack rats – we keep 52 open tabs (even if it makes our laptop sluggish) because we’ll “need them” later. And that’s because bouncing from tab to tab makes us feel productive even if it isn’t actually the case.

Because the truth is, all of those open tabs come with a heavy cost:

🥱 Mental exhaustion. Surprise – multitasking is a myth. Research shows that task switching causes mental exhaustion, making us scatterbrained and less likely to retain information.

📚 Information overload. Processing large amounts of information is proven to increase stress and anxiety.

💭 Overstimulation. Boredom isn’t a bad thing. In fact, we need a little boredom to come up with new ideas. Too many open tabs can overstimulate your brain, never giving you the break you need to think.

But the most damaging part of all those tabs is that we end up working harder, not smarter.

We mistake chaos for productivity and fail to ask ourselves if the busy work we’re doing is actually moving the needle.

So, what’s a tab hoarder to do? First check out OneTab, an app that collapses your open tabs into a single window. (Don’t worry, they’re all still there).

We also suggest starting your day by listing out your three most important tasks. It seems simple, but focused planning is how you avoid frenzied multitasking.

Ultimately, real productivity is about coming to terms with our limits (and our computers’). Learn to let go. Because there’s no better feeling than the sweet relief of closing those 52 tabs.

A Morning Routine For People Who Don’t Want to Wake Up Early

Article | by Darius Foroux

Most productivity advice celebrates early risers while shunning night owls. But does waking up at 5:00 AM actually increase your chances of success?

According to Darius Foroux...not really.

Because it’s not about the time you wake up, but what you do within that first hour.

In this article, Darius lays out the steps for a morning routine that can be done whenever you decide to roll out of bed – whether that’s midnight or midday.

Don’t Chase Happiness. Become Antifragile.

Video | by Big Think

Most of us work hard to avoid painful emotions. But according to positive psychologist and writer Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, pain and hardships are not just part of life — they are an “important part of a happy life.”

He suggests that the solution to pain isn’t avoidance. It’s learning how to become “antifragile.”

“I do not believe things always happen for the best, but I believe we can make the best of what happens… A happy life doesn’t mean being happy all the time.”

Check out the video for a different look at happiness.

Slowly

Tool | by Kevin Wong Ho-yin and JoJo Chan Sau-wun

Emails. DMs. Zoom. FaceTime.

We need to stay connected. But what happened to sending a letter to a penpal?

Introducing Slowly, the app that brings the traditional pen pal experience to your smartphone.

Slowly matches you with people based on your preferences and languages, letting you make friends with folks from around the globe. And true to its name, mailing time depends on your penpal’s distance. So you can get to know someone overtime – not overnight.

Written by Alice Lemée