How to Be Happy By Understanding Instrumental Values

You could make a strong argument that the universe is poorly designed.

Don’t get me wrong, I doubt I could do a better job. But, due to what appears to be a mistake in the grand universal design, nothing is purely, unequivocally good. There’s always a trade-off.

When Every Day Is The Same… Make Each Day A Little Better

Last year, life was tedious. It was like my own personal Groundhog Day, except I actually got older and I barely learned anything. Each day was the same: I awoke, I worked in my little office, I slept. 

And repeat.

What I’m Doing in July 2018

[post status: a brief life update] When  Walking on Custard came out in 2015 (aside: I cannot believe that was three  years ago! What on EARTH is happening to the flow of time?!), I needed some sort of online home. I considered all kinds of wild, imaginative ideas, like interactive websites which would act as companions to the…

Do More Things You Enjoy

[SUPER QUICK POST] Today, some Incredibly Obvious Advice Which I Always Forget. You know those things you enjoy doing? (Perhaps you don’t. For me, modern life often turns into a kind of repetitive drudgery where days blend into one another. Even so, there’s usually something at some point lately which brought some joy. It’s useful…

Do You Feel the Need to Be Impressive?

[This post was originally written for puttylike.com] Hi, my name’s Neil Hughes and, because I’m human, I want you to be impressed by me. This is a normal urge. We are social animals, so it’s natural to be concerned about our status within the tribe. Our brains: Am I important? What do people think when…