Lokfox

Lokfox is a productivity tool releasing in summer 2015. For now, we'll be posting tips on reducing your time online and making the most of your time offline. Think @lifehacker's less verbose kid sister. Read more about Lokfox... Have a look at our Top 10 posts

[lokfox]

Foxlight: Sexism and forgiveness

Date: Friday 4th April

The Guilt of the Video-Game Millionaires The effects of making more money in a night than their parents do in a year Simon Parkin, newyorker.com

Technology’s Man Problem Changing the industry from inside out Claire Cain Miller, nytimes.com

Advice for a Happy Life Consider marrying young. Be wary of grand passions. Watch 'Groundhog Day' (again). Advice on how to live to the fullest. Charles Murray, wsj.com

Why We All Love Numbers We cannot help but react to numbers, but why are odds masculine and evens feminine? Why were Levi's 501s and WD-40 given those names? And is number 3 really 'warm' and 'friendly'? Alex Bellos, theguardian.com

[lokfox]

5 things smart people do wrong

Being smart is the ultimate badge of superiority. Beauty fades, wealth is shallow and charm is pointless. Intelligence on the other hand is noble, valuable and stable. Modern media may not revere smart people as much as they revere celebrities but we all recognise that the Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world hold a special place in society (i.e. the top).

1. They value being right over being kind Smart people go through life with a sort of ‘cloak’ around them. It protects them and insulates them from the vagrancies of their intellectual inferiors. Kids that are naturally smart recognise this about themselves early on in life and it often becomes their defining characteristic; the one thing they like best about themselves; the one thing they choose to cultivate. In the quest to strengthen and continually demonstrate this singular asset, smart people often underestimate the value of other important attributes: kindness, sociability, spirituality and emotional intelligence – things that make people a lot happier than mere intelligence.

2. They fail to empathise with those less able Smart people are so used to sailing through challenges that they become impatient and frustrated with those that fall behind. This habit is evident in all sorts of arenas, from taking a complex academic course to the simple act of watching a movie.

“I make connections quickly about a plot,” says 32-year-old doctor Nina Sockanathan, “and I’ll say ‘I like how they’re setting up XYZ’. My boyfriend will say ‘huh?’ and I can’t help rolling my eyes because he hasn’t caught on. I hate that about myself but I can’t help it.”

This habit is exacerbated in academic settings where complex ideas can flummox all but the very smart. Because they don’t know what it’s like to struggle with these ideas, they find it very hard to empathise with those who do, making them rather unpleasant to be around at times.

3. They have inordinately high expectations High intelligence will only get you so far. It’s enough to propel you to the top of the class but after schooling is over, it won’t help you sail through life as you might expect. Smart people can develop an entitlement to success, failing to recognise that real success takes a lot more – social skills, empathy, ambition, wit, charm and luck can all play a part. Failing to meet high expectations can result in feelings of dissatisfaction, self-doubt and misery. In fact, some psychologists believe that smarter people are more prone to depression because they expect more. Perhaps ignorance is bliss after all.

4. They become easily restless We all think we want an easy job; one that allows us to start on time, finish work without stress and then leave on time. In reality, however, most of us need more than that. We need genuinely challenging work to enjoy what we do – a need that is more marked among highly intelligent people. If they’re not ruling a company, they’re often found hopping jobs laterally because they get bored after a year. This has a longer-term effect on their careers, but they seldom care because they’re too busy looking for the next thing that interests them.

5. They find it hard to delegate “I’m the fourth oldest of six children but I organise all the family holidays, coordinate babysitting, edit letters of complaints, help with house purchases,” says 27-year-old Hannah Jarvis. “Growing up, I was always the responsible one and I took on that mantle quite happily. Now, no-one else will volunteer or help because they know I’ve got a handle on it.”

This phenomenon is highly evident in the workplace. Smart people find it difficult to delegate because they feel no-one else can complete tasks to their own standard and, hence, are always left holding the baby.

[lokfox]

Foxlight: Tech, Wealth &... Phil Collins

Date: Friday 28th March

Get One Thing Right The CEO of retailer Bonobos on why starting up with a single product is far more important than a collection Andy Dunn, medium.com

Dwarf Planet Discovery Hints at a Hidden Super Earth in Solar System The outer reaches of the known solar system has grown further - what else is beyond what we can see? Ian Sample, theguardian.com

Why There Will Never Be Another Pop Star Like Phil Collins Can ordinary looking people make it in today’s music industry? Jonah Bayer, vice.com

P. Diddy's Failed Attempts at Getting a 'Puff Daddy' Twitter Handle Some hilarious light relief to round up the week Pat O'Brien, Zack Poitras, funnyordie.com

[lokfox]

How to get on with other women

Writer H. L. Mencken once remarked that the sight of women greeting each other reminded him of nothing so much as prizefighters shaking hands.

Beneath the civility, they’re busy sizing each other up, an unspoken question rippling beneath the surface of their minds: am I better than her? This subconscious instinct occasionally manifests into tangible animosity. It’s the reason so many of us have heard women say they prefer the company of men. “There’s far less drama,” they claim – “Women can be so bitchy”, “I don’t like the negativity”.

1. Don’t play the ice queen

She’s everywhere: Staring into space on a billboard with an insouciant curl of the mouth; gazing from GQ with her narrowed eyes and parted lips; walking down the catwalk with her haughtily high cheekbones and chin. The ice queen is inaccessible but sexy. The ice queen is highly desirable, which is why it’s tempting to emulate her, but know this: men may be drawn to her but women are not. For an instant illustration of this, look at the below pictures and ask which version of Cheryl Cole is more instantly likeable.

If you want to make more female friends, you need to chill out, smile and stop acting like an extra from a Ralph Lauren poster.

2. Be (genuinely) self-deprecating...

Women like women who can laugh at themselves. Just look at actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Mila Kunis versus Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley. The first two are admired for being down to earth, funny and self-deprecating. The latter two are respectively known for their righteous health advice and indelible pout. If you want to disarm the women around you, be self deprecating but in a genuine way. Choose something you genuinely want to improve about yourself and use that. It doesn’t have to be looks-based (especially if you have the good fortune of looking like an Irina Shayk or Adriana Lima in which case complaining about your looks will come across as totally false). Perhaps you want to learn a new language but are completely inept at it. Use that. Flawed and humble women are far more palatable than the perfect Paltrows of the world.

3. …but don’t take it too far

If you’re a size 6 but want to be a size 4, that’s not the best thing to complain about, especially if you’re complaining to a woman who isn’t as slim as you. Women hold themselves to a different standard to others so they don’t always notice when they’re complaining about a feature shared by their female friends. It’s worse when they try to backpedal. What they’re saying on these occasions is “It’s okay for you to be fat/short/have split ends but not me.” Be mindful of what you complain about and to whom.

4. Never flirt with the guy she’s with

There’s a Desperate Housewives episode in which the gorgeous Gabrielle Solis tells the husband of a (more plain) friend that she would have kissed him had they been in high school together. Because it’s TV and because it’s Desperate Housewives, the scene devolves into Gabrielle actually kissing the husband ‘on behalf of all the cheerleaders out there’, but even without tacking on the kiss, Gabrielle already goes too far. You don’t tell another woman’s man that you would, should, could have kissed him – not now, not ever. Don’t flirt with him. Don’t defend him. Don’t take his side. Your loyalties lie with your friends, so subdue your need for male attention when you’re around their husbands and boyfriends.

5. Strengthen her self-esteem

Some women have an almost adolescent need to put down others around them, whether its through overt criticism of an adventurous outfit or uploading an unflattering picture of a friend to Facebook. To strengthen your relationship with a female friend, focus on strengthening her self-esteem. Compliment her where a compliment is due, buy her a shade of lipstick that will suit her, or send her an intelligent article that made you think of her. Be kind with your words and encouraging in your actions.

6. Don’t be catty about other women

Columnist Tanya Gold once wrote: If you want to befriend a woman, ask her the question, "What do you think of Keira Knightley?" In the resulting torrent of bile and loathing, you will bond.

Try not to feed into the toxic culture that permits women to hate each other for what they wear, or how blonde they dye their hair, or simply for existing. Be positive about other women and that positivity will likely make things better all round.

Author: Alex Li

[lokfox]

Foxlight: Sex and startups

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 21st March

Sex and the Startup: Men, Women, and Work A look at why all efforts to get more women into tech will fail as long as the culture assumes their labor is less valuable Kate Losse, modelviewculture.com

Facebook VP of Engineering on Solving Hard Things Early Why startups need to ‘swallow the frog’ before tackling smaller tasks Cory Ondrejka, firstround.com

Helping Women Get Back in the Game Why corporate re-entry programs could be the answer to getting women back into powerful positions Jennifer Preston, nytimes.com

What Happened On Easter Island — A New (Even Scarier) Scenario A new theory on what happened on this famous South Pacific island Robert Krulwich, npr.org

[lokfox]

Foxlight: This week's top reads

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 14th March

Enduring Startup Lessons from Silicon Alley 1.0 A group of media startup pioneers share the Silicon Valley lessons which still apply 20 years later Maryan Banikarim, fastcompany.com

The Short List The best way a startup can identify if it has a viable product Hunter Walk, hunterwalk.com

What You Learn in Your 40s The top qualities the internet giant values over all others Pamela Druckerman, nytimes.com

The Feminine, Desexualized Asian Man “Asian men are represented in one of two ways: either as the wimpy egghead or the kung fu master” starts this personal post on Asian men moving past emasculation towards reappropriation  Timothy Juang, thewangpost.com

[lokfox]

9 ways to become more technical

“You need to learn to code.” “We want someone technical.” “Anyone can build a website.”

The exponential growth of technology is daunting to many, particularly those who entered the working world long before the advent of the internet. There is a definite air of ‘being left behind’ with the non-technical among us threatened with obsoletion. This may be somewhat dramatic but it’s fair to say that being technical adds value in almost every professional role. If you’ve ever thought about learning new skills, start with our 9-point guide. It will take time, effort and dedication to become a true expert but this guide will help you on your way. The steps are ranked from what is likely to be most useful to least, but feel free to start where you feel most comfortable.

1. Build up a glossary of technical terms

TLD. XML. MVC. API.

If you know what all the above acronyms stand for and what the technology behind them is used for, then you can skip this guide as chances are you’re pretty technical already. If not, then be warned: techies love their TLAs (three-letter acronyms ;). The field has a seemingly infinite vocabulary and while it’s unlikely you’ll learn it all, you’ll go a long way if you start to build your own technical glossary. This can act as a repository for all the new terms you learn (and a refresher for the ones you forget). We use Word Word Lite for iPhone (free) but unfortunately it’s not quite perfect. We’re always on the lookout for the perfect custom dictionary app so if you find one, let us know!

2. Read journals and websites

If you want to become technical, you’ll need some general knowledge about the field. To do this, make sure you frequently read a breadth of tech blogs and news sites. If you’re unsure where to start, try our favourites:

The Next Web (TNW) Hacker News (HN) Recode Reddit

There’s a multitude of other sites (TechCrunch, PandoDaily, GigaOm) but we find that TNW covers pretty much what the others do and at the same time focuses on quality rather than quantity. In addition to the above, follow Silicon-Valley engineers, VCs and journalists on Twitter to get the latest news. We recommend @hunterwalk, @paulg, @jessicalessin and @triketora.

3. Get to grips with UX

UX or ‘user experience’ refers to the principles of good web design. How many times have you tried to tab into a field and failed, or closed a popup only to encounter it a few pages later, or tried to find a ‘contact us’ page and couldn’t? UX is all about letting the user achieve their goals easily and efficiently. Understanding the basics of good web usability will put you in good stead for discussing design with peers in your field. We suggest Steve Krug’s ‘Don’t Make Me Think’ as a good place to start.

4. Learn about SEO and analytics

Ah, the dark art of SEO – the eternal battle between marketers and writers. SEO (search engine optimisation) encompasses a wide variety of tools and practices that help drive traffic to websites. It – and its less nefarious counterpart, analytics – are essential for any new (and old!) website. Without it, a website is likely to disappear into the ether. Learning about these fields will allow you to talk with confidence to marketers and techies alike and is a modern must-have for anyone in those fields. Cover the basics with Google’s SEO Start Guide and Moz.com's Beginner’s Guide to SEO. For analytics, set up a Google Analytics account and dive in!

5. Start learning HTML and CSS

Here is where we start to get slightly more serious. HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Stylesheets) are the building blocks of websites. The first specifies web content while the second specifies how that content will be presented (i.e. fonts, colours, styles). Most non-technical people won’t need to use either in their everyday jobs, but understanding how basic websites work will put you ahead of the curve. It will take some patience and practice to learn the basics but it’s well worth the effort. For building sites, we use Adobe Dreamweaver but start with the excellent HTML and CSS tutorials from W3Schools.

6. Use a range of connectivity tools and protocols

There is a whole area of tech dedicated to networking and security protocols: FTP, SSH, SSL, Telnet, SAML – and then a whole layer of tools that facilitate those protocols. Some of this will be of limited use to the dilettante but it’s worth reading around the area to get a full understanding of the architecture of security and web communication. We use FileZilla and Cyberduck for FTP and PuTTY for SSH. Book some hosting space to experiment with your own web pages (we use gandi.net) and start playing with these tools.

7. Understand operating systems

An operating system is your computer’s core program which is used to run all your apps and software tools. You’ll likely have heard of Windows, Mac OS and Unix. Each of these then has different flavours (XP, Vista, 7; OS 8, OS 9, OS X; BSD, Linux). Learn about the different versions and try them out for yourself if you can. It would be useful to learn some command line instructions. ss64.com is an excellent resource for beginners.

8. Learn the principles of programming

Here’s where things get really serious. If you want to become super-technical, you’ll need an understanding of the various languages on offer and what they are best used for. Ideally, you would try a few out yourself. At the very least, you should aim to understand the basics of programming (data types, variables, functions, conditionals and loops).

So, where do you start? This Programming 101 article from Lifehacker provides a whistle-stop tour of the major languages and options and is a great resource for getting you going. The field of programming is gargantuan and it’s impossible to learn everything about everything but a basic understanding of the principles will be more than enough for a dabbler.

9. Experiment with hardware

We’ve met virtuoso programmers who are daunted by base level hardware, so don’t despair if you don’t know your masters from your slaves and couldn’t find your motherboard if your life depended on it. Instead, get a Raspberry Pi to experiment with. It will show you the basic components of a computer and lay a grounding for you to learn more. If you want to get deeper into the field, we recommend Structured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum.

‘Becoming technical’ is no small task but it can be done so go forth and be geeky, comrades, and let us know how you get on.

[lokfox]

Foxlight: This week's top reads

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 7th Feb

There Is No Gender Gap in Tech Salaries Why technology is more egalitarian than public perception dictates Cynthia Than, qz.com

The Key to the Internet Meet the seven people who hold the keys to worldwide internet security James Ball, theguardian.com

In Search of a Stable Electronic Currency Why Bitcoin ‘doesn’t really solve any sensible economic problem’ Robert J. Shiller, nytimes.com

Why Google Doesn’t Care About Hiring Top College Graduates The top qualities the internet giant values over all others Max Nisen, qz.com

[lokfox]

Foxlight: This week's top reads

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 28th Feb

Having Money, Not Having Money and 'The Number' A short post inspired by the gargantuan $19bn WhatsApp-Facebook deal Hunter Walk, hunterwalk.com

CEO Productivity Hacks 12 successful entrepreneurs share their best productivity tips Max Nisen, businessinsider.com

100 TED Talks In 5 Minutes One man sat through 70 hours of TED talks and this is what he learnt Chris Bailey, lifehack.org

How to Deal With the Brilliant Jerks You Work With The flake, the heretic, the jerk – how to deal with talented people that are less than wonderful in the workplace Ben Horowitz, wired.com

[lokfox]

How NOT to make new friends

“No new friends.”

This vow between Barack and Michelle Obama on their first presidential campaign may seem counterintuitive, but look beneath the surface and you’ll find a highly effective productivity tip. In a hyper-connected world where staying in touch requires contact via 30 different media, growing your crop of friends usually equates to cropping your spare time. The problem is of course that so few of us feel comfortable with passivity.

1. Choose 5 friendships to cultivate and say no to (nearly) everything else

Write a list of around five friends to whom you are closest. These should be the people who make you laugh, who make an effort to see you and who are genuinely happy when good things happen in your life. These five people are the ones that matter – not the burgeoning number of contacts you have amassed over the years. Do what you can to cultivate those five friendships and say no to everything else. If this thought gives you hives, ask yourself why. Is it a fear of missing a great night out? Fear that a small network will limit your career options? Remember this: other people matter far less than you think so let your circle of acquaintances wither if you have to. No-one goes to their grave thinking I wish I had accepted that coffee with that guy I met at that conference that one time. Focus on the people that matter.

2. Don’t hand out your business card like candy

It’s an unspoken truth that most people only want to network with those as successful or more successful than they are. Sure, there are benevolent mentors who occasionally take on a protégé but most people network because they want to get ahead. With this in mind, you may have to exercise a bit of networking snobbery. Instead of handing out your business card to everyone you meet (and hence inviting copious unsolicited emails), be more discerning. When someone who doesn’t really interest you gives you their card, look at it with interest, tap your pocket and say ‘I think I’ve run out but perhaps we can connect on LinkedIn?’ Don’t promise to send them your contact details and don’t say you’ll meet for coffee – do your best to be non-committal.

3. Limit who can add you on social networks

Amend your settings on social networks to restrict who can add you. For example, on Facebook, change it so that only friends of friends can send you a friend request. On Twitter, make sure only people you follow can direct message you. On LinkedIn, don’t accept people unless you know them in real life. This cuts down the amount of unnecessary and useless communication sent your way.

4. Don’t do things to be liked

It’s human nature to crave approval and appreciation, which is okay until you find yourself saying yes to every favour that comes your way. It might be a request to review someone’s CV, to arrange an internship for the niece of a friend, to look over a broken laptop, or to meet someone for coffee and your expertise. If you want to do what is asked of you because it will genuinely please you, then knock yourself out. If, however, you’re doing it just to be nice then stop saying yes. This is tricky especially if you work in a pay-it-forward culture like Silicon Valley, but your time is finite. If the asker is going to begrudge you for saying no, then they’re probably not worth the effort in the first place.

5. Be ruthless with those who don’t respect your time

We all make exceptions for our friends and that’s fine but if someone cancels on you last-minute or consistently turns up late, be ruthless about cutting them out. Your inner circle of five friends can be excepted from this rule – as can most family members and people you really want to connect with – but set a high bar for everyone else (acquaintances, colleagues and ‘outer-circle’ friends). Sure, you’re not the president of the United States but your time is precious nonetheless. Don’t accommodate those who don’t respect it.

What are your thoughts? Do you have an always-networking approach to life or are you happy to lean back and focus on fewer friendships? Share in the comments below.

[lokfox]

Foxlight: This week's top reads

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 21st Feb

The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking An interesting stance on this widely-accepted practice Adam Alter, newyorker.com

The Farmer's Luck in Silicon Valley One Silicon Valley veteran's advice on "good" and "bad" events in life and how they are so often intertwined Jim McCarthy, jimmccarthy.biz 

5 Famous Entrepreneurs who Learned from their First Spectacular Failures A profile of people who overcame huge failure to find huge success Stephanie Vozza, fastcompany.com

Always Wear the Same Suit Productivity lessons from President Obama Drake Baer, fastcompany.com

[lokfox]

Our favourite language learning app

With a popular iPhone app quickly followed by its Android counterpart last year, Duolingo offers a quick, convenient, ‘bite-sized’ way of learning a language. It allows users to set a daily goal (5, 10, 15 or 25 minutes a day) and monitors their progress. It gamifies the process to some extent, giving users a certain number of hearts which are extinguished with each wrong answer. It also allows users to connect with friends and compete on a leaderboard (a key feature in keeping the Lokfox team motivated).

Duolingo offers a mixture of reading, writing, speaking and listening exercises. Users can choose to turn off the speaking and/or listening ones – handy if you’ll be practising on your commute. Interestingly, co-founder Luis von Ahn says that it’s not other educational tools he sees as their competition; rather, it’s apps like Candy Crush that suck up users’ free time. Using Duolingo instead of Candy Crush and its ilk gives users an entertaining way of doing something productive. Overall, it's a great product.

We have only two caveats: first, the language options are limited so if you want to learn something esoteric, you’ll be out of luck. Second, you might find that app isn’t comprehensive enough for completely new learners. Lokfox’s team members are building on languages we already have some basic knowledge of so we can’t be entirely sure that the app is in-depth enough for complete beginners. If you do indeed give it a try, please come back and tell us what you think!

- Download Duolingo (free, ad-free) - Read 5 language learning myths

[lokfox]

Foxlight: This week's top reads

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 14th Feb

Cheap Words A fantastic article on Amazon's devaluing of books George Packer, newyorker.com

7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People Why certain people seem happier than others Grgeory Ciotti, 99u.com

Miserable Commutes A look at why some types of commutes (e.g. bus journeys) make us more miserable than others Max Nisen, qz.com

Facebook Is More Addictive and Widely Used Than Ever Why predictions of Facebook's demise are wrong reuters.com

[lokfox]

5 ways modern life is screwing with us

1. Busy bragging

This describes the phenomenon whereby people publicly and frequently complain about how little time they have. It could be in the form of a Facebook status, a hurried conversation by the school gates, or a Monday morning catchup with colleagues. Talking about how jampacked your life is, is essentially a form of bragging – after all, it indicates that you are in demand; that people want your time and attention; that you are successful and desirable. Busy bragging might have an initial therapeutic effect but it’s unhealthy because it feeds into the general din of voices crying out for more time, convincing us all that it’s normal to be so stressed and anxious. Resist the urge to busy brag and instead focus on ways you can free up some time. Perhaps if a few of us stop running around like headless chickens, others will follow suit.

2. Constant multi-tasking

‘Excel in Bed’ reads the new adverts for the Nokia Lumia. The fact that we can work from anywhere – including our own beds – has not made our lives easier, rather added another layer of pressure on our time. Add to that social networking, constant news updates and numerous forms of communication, and you’ll find that we have all but lost our ability to focus on and enjoy doing just one thing. Scrolling through Twitter while watching a movie has become the norm for so many. In some cases, this can add enjoyment (e.g. watching the nation erupt with you at a particularly ignoble comment on BBC Question Time) but more often than not, it simply distracts and dilutes. Next time you watch a movie or a TV show, try focusing on just that one thing.

3. Harbouring FOMO

FOMO or the ‘Fear of Missing Out’ is an affliction suffered by many a millenial. This is what makes us scroll through pictures of a party we missed to gauge how good it was. It makes us say yes to things we don’t actually want to do, or resent yet another retelling of that amazing night we missed. In an age where every semi-interesting event is captured and circulated via five different media, it is difficult to say no to the next dinner, party or event but FOMO can be exhausting so learn to accept that you won’t be a part of every legendary thing that happens in your circle.

5. Over-emoting

Justine Sacco is the stupidest c*nt that ever walked the face of the earth Melissa Bachman is a fucking monster who needs to be put down Tim Reuben better get into witness protection, that fucking f*ggot

There’s something about the anonymous internet that makes large swathes of people turn into raving lunatics. While most of us try to refrain from making death threats online, it can’t be denied that we are more vocal with our anger, disappointment and criticism than in times past. When we hear about the death of a celebrity, our instinct is to reach for our phones to tweet our condolences. When we are angered by a politician, we voice our vitriol on social media. This compulsion feeds into a mob culture where emotions are disproportionately magnified. Instead of feeding the furore, try doing something constructive with it instead. If you can’t think of a more proactive way to effect change, then you probably don’t really care that much anyway.

3. Chasing fulfilment

There was a time when a person could be content if they had a healthy family and a job that supported them. While this is still true for a few lucky people, so much of modern society suffers from feelings of unfulfilment. So many of us feel that there should be more to our lives; that we should have more, see more, do more, be more. The overwhelming wealth of information about uber-successful people – from Silicon Valley whiz kids to millionaire socialites – perpetuates the idea that you need to have endless reams of money to be happy, and even then happiness can evade you. For this, we borrow a phrase we once saw in a trailer: life has a gap – it just does. Stop trying to fill it.

[lokfox]

4 addictive apps to avoid

As we recover from the Flappy Bird pandemic, Lokfox names four other apps that will suck your hours into a virtual vacuum.

Secret

Paper

Facebook’s new app has the simple tagline ‘Stories from Facebook’. It offers a collection of content shared by your friends in a beautifully simple way. The design and user experience is more fluid than the standard Facebook app, making browsing easier and hence more addictive. Avoid.

iCopter

We thought we’d throw this in as a homage to the Flappy Bird phenomenon. iCopter – which started off as a desktop game over a decade ago – follows the same basic pattern but is far less frustrating than its ornithological equivalent. A sure way to lose several hours at a time.

QuizUp

This app has matured since its release last year and gained a decent user base, making it more addictive than ever. It allows you to compete on chosen subjects against real people, lighting the competitive fire in even the pacifists among us. We installed it, played practically continuously for a week, and then deleted it. Learn from our experience: ignore it altogether.

[lokfox]

Foxlight: This week's top reads

Foxlight is our weekly list of interesting articles we’ve read and enjoyed. It focuses on productivity, startups, tech and travel with some general interest pieces thrown in.

Date: Friday 7th Feb

How the Productivity Myth is Killing Your Startup Why long to-do lists and tight deadlines are counter-intuitive Shanley, medium.com

Jay Leno's 6 Lessons For Leaving A Job You Love What to do when you're 'persuaded' out of a role you love Nancy Collamer, forbes.com

How to Build a Company That Lasts Forever A long read with insightful advice on building a core business Leigh Buchanan, inc.com

Speaking Fake-Polish is No Different from Speaking “Male” One girl's experience of interning at Facebook Jean Yang, medium.com

5 questions designers should ask themselves before joining any startup Good advice applicable to anyone considering making this move Enrique Allen, thenextweb.com

[lokfox]

Viewpoints: Not everyone can teach

Education, education, education – it’s a mantra woven into the very fabric of society, and yet teachers are frequently undermined not only by Gove's government but peers, parents and students too. Here, one inner-city teacher gives an understated and honest account of his experience in the profession.

Teaching is not the hardest job in the world. Conveying knowledge and information about your field of expertise is not the hardest task in the world. A degree is necessary which is achievable for most. The PGCE or relevant qualification to gain Qualified Teacher Status is again attainable by most. The profession is relatively well paid and comes with generous holiday entitlement and various key worker schemes and benefits – and it can be extremely rewarding.

I’m from a family of teachers: my father was a secondary school History and English teacher for over 35 years, and my mother coordinated SEN (Special Educational Needs) departments and taught in primary schools for over three decades. In my childhood town, it was not possible for my parents to walk down the street or in the local supermarket without meeting a current or former pupil. My father taught three generations of some families. Combine the careers of both my parents and this would extend to even four generations – not many people can claim such a personal influence over a community. Men and women, well into their forties and possibly beyond, would still greet my father as Sir. As a young child, I actually believed this to be his real name.

I’ve now been teaching for six full years in an east London secondary school – not always full time. Even now I have a reduced timetable due to my additional roles in the school. Unlike my sister who is also a teacher, I never wanted to go into education but I gave it a try at 24 and found I enjoyed it and, more significantly, found I was quite good at it. Since the age of 16, I had worked in jobs across many sectors: agriculture, construction, catering, hospitality, entertainment, publishing, IT, media, manufacturing, shipping and now education. Teaching is not the hardest job I’ve done, but it is by far the most stressful.

Demanding. It is ever demanding. There’s never peace, there’s never time to stop and reflect; the next class is due in, there’s a meeting to attend, behaviour issues, planning, marking, data input and submissions. There’s discipline to administer, phone calls, emails, registers, truants, coursework. Some of this is part of what makes teaching enjoyable: it’s never boring. It’s never predictable. You never stop. Improvisation is compulsory. It can be exciting. But mainly it’s draining.

Accountability. Everyone is judging you. The public, the government, Oftsed, the local authority, the council, your colleagues, your managers, the parents and, most of all, the students. The pressure on a teacher to not fail his pupils is immense. Unfortunately, when you succeed, the same adjudicators offer little appreciation. You have to provide that yourself.  

These two factors are deeply taxing. I never saw them coming. I eased into teaching, gradually building up a timetable, taking on more responsibilities and only now four years after gaining my full teaching licence do I recognise the monumental toil that is education. I stand in complete admiration of newly qualified teachers who take on full teaching responsibilities immediately after qualifying. It must be a shock.

Not everyone can teach. Not everyone should teach. After six years in the profession, I often wonder if it’s time to leave. It’s so absorbing that during term time there is almost nothing else in my life. My father described teaching as similar to life in the trenches: “…It’s like digging in… then re-emerging weeks later into the real world, exhausted and battered.” A touch dramatic, but I can see the parallel.

I’m in school for over 40 hours a week, without fail. In addition to this, I put in another 10 hours or more at home in the evenings or weekends. I will do at least some school-related work everyday. I rarely get more than 15 minutes for lunch. It’s even rarer that I get a few minutes alone. Despite this, the thing I find most surprising will sometimes occur at the end of a school day as I leave. The school’s caretaker says to me: “See you tomorrow, Sir”. As I reply, I realise that those words are the first I’ve spoken to an adult all day.

My father was an outstanding teacher. He worked tirelessly, up to 10 hours a day, every day, like clockwork. He spent his evenings marking or planning and his weekends were the same. He gave up huge amounts of his own time to take students on school trips to places they had never been, and would never have had the opportunity to go: camping in Derbyshire, climbing in Wales, skiing in Switzerland, and even New York. My school friend Wayne’s only trip abroad to date was with my father on a French history jaunt to Paris and Normandy in year eight. In November 1989 his annual history excursion to Berlin coincided with the collapse of communism and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. A group of lucky students left Germany having witnessed the reunification of Europe after 45 years of division: what a history lesson!

I have memories of my father rushing out one evening after a phone call from alarmed parents whose son had locked himself in his room. Distraught parents would drop by for advice about how to raise their unruly children. If you’re a teacher, you’re also a parent whether you have children or not. My father ran the school’s cricket teams, chess club, climbing, table tennis and more. He gave as much as he could for over 35 years and this took its toll. He retired on grounds of ill health at 57. He was exhausted and stressed and heartbroken.

Teaching is not the hardest job in the world. But to teach is all or nothing. If you’re a good teacher, you’re dedicated, enthusiastic, attentive, motivated and devoted. And you’ll probably regret it. The teaching profession has an unusually high number of employees affected by stress and mental health issues [1, 2, 3]. I put this down to the demanding nature of the job, coupled with the huge responsibility heaped upon teachers. It can be a wonderful job, hugely enjoyable and rewarding: working with children can be exhilarating. But could I do this forever…?

Not everyone can teach. Even fewer can do it well. Even fewer can do it for a prolonged period of time. We should appreciate the people that can and do – they’re hard to come by.

Author: Peter Watson

Viewpoints is Lokfox’s series of articles from a cross-section of society, designed to create understanding of someone else’s life.