For those in the military, sleep can mean the difference between life and death. But shut-eye can be very hard to come by, especially during active conflict.
According to Sharon Ackman, the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School developed a scientific method to help its pilots fall asleep. This technique allowed 96% of the pilots to fall asleep in two minutes or less.
If this technique lets pilots fall asleep during war, you can certainly use it to fall asleep in the comfort of your bedroom.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Relax in your seat
via DVIDShub / Flickr | Sleeping in difficult environments.
Due to the cramped space in planes, pilots were trained to sleep while seated. They placed their feet flat on the ground and rested their hands in their laps.
Breathe slow, deep breaths while relaxing every muscle in your face and letting your forehead, cheeks, mouth, tongue, and jaw go limp.
Step 2: Relax your upper body
Let your shoulders drop as low as possible and allow the muscles in your neck to go limp.
Starting with your dominant side, let your bicep feel like it’s falling off your body, then move to your forearm, hand, and fingers. If a muscle won’t relax, tense it first, then let it go loose.
Slowly exhale your tension.
Step 3: Relax your lower body
Tell your right thigh muscle to sink, then move down your leg, saying the same thing to your calf, ankle, and foot. Your leg should feel like it has sunk into the ground. Then move on to your left leg.
Step 4: Clear your mind
Finally, clear your mind for ten seconds by focusing on your breath moving through your nostrils or holding a static image in your mind.
Once your body is relaxed and your mind quiet, you should slip away into darkness.
Getting information through quality conversation can be enjoyable or a struggle. Figuring out solutions and fielding valuable expert opinions can be difficult to discern when the person you’re talking to (or debating with) seems suspect. Fortunately, a neuroscientist online has laid out what to look out for to see if your conversation partner is actually intellectual or just talking out of their…well, you know.
Neuroscientist turned musician/comedian Alex Riordan discussed how to spot pseudo-intellectuals and how they differentiate themselves from actual intellectuals. For Riordan, who spends ample time with his colleagues at Princeton University as well as his degree-less intellectual friends (because you don’t need to go to college to be intelligent), he’s identified three signs that helped him separate the fake-it-til-you-make-its from actually thoughtful individuals.
Riordan mentions that pseudo-intellectuals will often go out of their way to use colorful rhetoric and terms to try to talk past you and get you to talk past them. To expand on Riordan’s point, the purpose is a means to bait you into an argument by cutting you off before fully explaining your point or trying to move the conversation past your points to focus in on their own point. They may use tactics such as whataboutism, a tactic that asks, “But what about ______?” to shift the focus of the conversation from one issue to another in order to distract or deflect from initial point.
They aim to ‘win,’ not aim to understand
The folks that aim to appear smarter than they truly are don’t have any interest in coming to an understanding with their conversation. They want to win. This is common in what Riordan calls “debate bro tactics.”. Being right isn’t as important as appearing right, regardless of any logical holes or pushback that they cannot rationally defend.
Riordan briefly mentions the Dunning-Kruger effect as a way to spot if someone is talking nonsense. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people overestimate their knowledge and/or abilities in a specific area. When they encounter a new subject, they immediately think they have a complete grasp of it and lack the self awareness to see their own limitations. Once they read an article by an actual expert that conflicts with their understanding, they reject it and assume they’re right despite their lack of education, skills, or actual knowledge.
Why smart people think they’re not smart ? The Dunning-Kruger effect is real. The more you know, the more you realise how much you don’t know – and it can make you feel like you’re falling behind, even when you’re not. Meanwhile, those with less knowledge often feel more confident because they’re unaware of what they’re missing. Classic case of small fish, big pond vs big fish, tiny puddle ? Ever felt this way? Let me know in the comments ?
If a person in a conversation demonstrates those behaviors, you may want to politely shut it down. However, even if with a person who knows what they’re talking about, conversations can get heated and people can devolve into these pseudo-intellectual behaviors. Fortunately, Riordan shared one great way he and his colleagues keep the conversation focused on understanding and respect.
Ask clarifying questions
Asking clarifying questions is a habit Riordan and his colleagues and friends practice to curb any pseudo-intellectualism and arguments that might arise from it. They do so because asking for clarification goes against all of the previously mentioned tactics of fake know-it-alls. It doesn’t claim to know everything, it’s aimed for understanding rather than “winning,” and acknowledges that you may not know everything about the subject at hand.
Asking clarifying questions, especially the right ones, shows your conversation partner that you’re curious about them and their thoughts, which encourages them to feel more connected with you. If you disagree with a person’s point and respond with a clarifying question it allows you to see where they’re coming from, find common ground, or learn something you hadn’t considered before. In some cases, answering clarifying questions helps your conversation partner to notice errors or discrepancies in their own thinking that may change their conclusions to line up with yours.
Some examples of clarifying questions include:
– What did you mean about ____?
– Could you further elaborate on that?
– I heard you say ____, am I interpreting that correctly?
– Are there specifics about ____?
– Can you break that down into detail for me?
Whether you’re conversing about politics, the universe, or what the best pizza topping is, leading with curiosity can ensure that everyone is not only enjoying the conversation, but are learning legitimate truths as well.
It can be hard to commit to the routines of exercise, housekeeping, and the other to-dos of your day-to-day life, but for many people the hardest part is the “household admin work.” This is the boring, drudging, and often bureaucratic tasks of answering emails, paying bills online, cancelling subscriptions, making appointments, etc. But what if you could make it a party?
This concept has led to a growing trend called “Admin Nights” in which people gather their friends together for snacks, drinks, and hanging out while working on administrative household tasks. Admin Nights have quickly turned the chore of household admin work into a weekly or monthly chill hangout with friends.
Admin Nights have other benefits aside from making digital decluttering more enjoyable, such as forging closer bonds with your friends.
“I love this trend because most of us wish we had more time to spend with friends, so turning administrative tasks into an opportunity to do something we long to do is a great life hack,” licensed therapist Anindita Bhaumik tells GOOD. “An admin night is a great idea for a low-cost friend hang. You can catch up with each other while checking tasks off your list.”
“It will likely spur on important updates that friends might not get around to sharing, such as the health concerns behind the appointment they’re making, how work is going, or how they’re doing financially. This can be an organic way to practice authenticity with one another and support each other,” Bhaumik added.
With the understanding you’ll need to establish some ground rules to stay on task, Admin Nights could make you more efficient in your mundane administrative tasks. Bhaumik and others state that Admin Nights are a form of “body doubling” which could ensure that you get everything done with more focus. Body doubling is a psychological hack in which most people tend to stay on task when someone else is in the same room as them, even if they don’t interact with one another. It’s partially why many work offices have open floor plans.
“The beautiful thing about body doubling is it works both ways,” said Bhaumik. “One person isn’t responsible for the other; rather, both (or the group) benefit from working on tasks together. This can even be accomplished virtually, by holding admin nights on a video call, for example.”
monthly admin date NEW YEAR edition ✨ using my NEW Admin Date Planner ✨ we set goals for the year and a support structure to help us reach those goals. 2026 is gonna be a good year ! also bagels are from Sincerely Bagel which is the best bagel I’ve had in PDX to date. I get the kimchi cheddar with scallion cream cheese ? . . . #TikTokCreatorSearchInsightsIncentive
If you want to try to host a successful Admin Night, it’s fortunately pretty simple. Shoot out texts or emails to friends you think would like this concept, figure out a date, go simple with snacks or ordering a pizza, and make sure your home has plenty of couches, blankets, etc. to keep the vibe comfy. Depending on your friend group and how they work, you may want to investigate various “Chill Music to Study To” playlists to have on while you all concentrate on your tasks.
Admin Nights could just change the game and turn boring or anxiety-ridden work into the most fun and relaxing day of your week.
It’s not easy leading people, whether it’s a team at work or just getting your kid to wash the dishes correctly. It can be easily frustrating when someone forgets your instructions or, worse, plainly ignores them because they don’t see the point in them. Well, an expert on inclusive communication found an easy three-step process to ensure that your instructions are followed thoroughly.
Author, educator, and consultant Ettie Bailey-King shared on Instagram the framework that helps instructors get their instructions followed, including those who struggle with ADHD. Crediting her friend Ellie Middleton for the method, Bailey-King suggests that we approach instructions with the “what by when and why” framework. Let’s break down the framework, piece by piece.
This factor is arguably the most important for several reasons. Bailey-King explains that neurodivergent people, such as those with ADHD, tend to follow instructions more effectively when they understand why the task matters and why they’re being asked to do it.
So our complete example in the “who, what, and why” framework could look like:
“Could you get this report completely filled out and finished then email it to me today before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time so I can share the results with our boss and they can create a budget?”
Why the “Why” is important
Whether a person is neurodivergent or neurotypical, both academics and business consultants think that providing a “why” or a “because” along with your instructions helps ensure that they are closely followed. This helps the person being instructed understand the reasoning behind the request and the stakes if the instructions aren’t followed. It lets them feel included in the process rather than simply taking orders blindly.
In education, explaining the “why” behind assignments helps students better understand the material and see the value of the work they’re being asked to do. In business, including the “why” in workplace manuals, whether it’s part of the job’s function or safety, helps information stick better and boosts morale far more than “because the boss said so.”
On top of that, asking the “why” helps you streamline your instructions by examining the purpose of each task. If you can’t identify a clear reason for doing something a certain way, it may reveal unnecessary steps and refocus the process on what truly needs to be done to achieve the desired result. So including the “why” in the framework isn’t just helpful for the person receiving the instructions—it benefits the instructor as well.
The next time you ask someone to do a task, remember to include the “what, when, and why.” It won’t eliminate every headache or guarantee that your teen will do the dishes, but it will make your expectations clearer and make communication easier overall.
