Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Women’s Health

This Is How Long You Need to Hold a Plank to See Real Results

Hint: It’s not as long as you think.

GQ

It Actually Takes a Lot Longer Than You’d Think to Lose Muscle From Not Working Out

In other words, relax—a week or two off when you’re sick or traveling isn’t a dealbreaker.

Literary Hub

These Are the 5 (Er, 10?) Best Parentheses in Literature.

From someone who can’t get enough parentheticals.

Vogue

Why I’m No Longer Adding Oat Milk To My Coffee

Like oat milk in your coffee? It may be causing cravings and tiredness.

Greater Good Magazine

How We Think About Forgiveness at Different Ages

Children’s understanding of forgiving develops as they grow older.

Mental Floss

13 Tantalizing Facts About the Lost Colony of Roanoke

What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? Corporate greed, dreadful diplomacy, and the wrath of Mother Nature. Also, we don’t know.

Fast Company

Use This 15-Minute Checklist to Prepare for a Job Interview

In just a few minutes you can make sure that you’ll nail your first impression.

CityLab

What Do US Vehicle Regulators Have Against Tiny Cars?

Super-small urban vehicles have found a place in European and Asian cities. But in the US, federal and state rulemakers seem determined to keep minicars at bay.

Prevention

9 Foods That Help Sleep, According to Dietitians

And why it’s never a good idea to go to bed on an empty stomach.

Stylist

Fungus Gnats: How to Stop Those Annoying Little Flies Taking Over All Your Houseplants

Are your houseplants attracting lots of small, annoying flies? They’re called fungus gnats—and this is how to get rid of them, for good.

Architectural Digest

7 Organization Hacks That Will Transform Your Messy Home

No need to get rid of clutter—find a good spot for it instead.

Apartment Therapy

The Easiest Way to Sanitize Your Bed Sheets, According to a Laundry Expert

Sanitizing linens without access to a washing machine is easier than you might think.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Pocket Collections

The Art of Navigating Thorny Office Politics

From bad bosses to gossipy colleagues and, of course, office refrigerator drama.

Today’s Pocket Hits

Monday, July 14

Texas Monthly

At 40, She Discovered She Was One of America’s Best Free Divers

Sara Burnett went from an introductory course to a world championship in just over a year.

Nautilus

Is the Show Finally Over for These Whales and Dolphins?

They were bred to entertain in a now-shuttered marine park. Now they need to be rescued.

Business Insider

Can Millennial Dads Have It All?

Millennial dads spend much more time with their kids than their boomer parents, but they’re still struggling to break the breadwinner stereotype.

The New Yorker

How to Save a Dog

For nearly a year, a motley crew scoured New Orleans for a shaggy white mutt named Scrim.

The Narwhal

Emptying the Nest: Parenting Lessons From Bald Eagles

A photographer follows a pair of bald eagles in southern Ontario, returning to their nest every year to raise their young, and send them off

Popular Science

How Do Airplane Toilets Work?

The engineering is surprisingly simple and remarkably clever.

The Hollywood Reporter

Sharks, ‘Sweethearts’ and Subs: 19 Docs and Real-Life Series to Watch This Summer

Whether you’re seeking true-crime tales, celebrity-focused fare or a closer look at the world around you, there’s something new for various tastes.

Eating Well

16 No-Cook Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes

These healthy and delicious no-cook dinner recipes, like zucchini noodles, salads and taco bowls, can all be made in 20-minutes or less.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Mother Jones

First Came the Wildfires—Then the Floods, and the Water Crises

“It’s just one thing after another.”

Business Insider

The Hottest Job in Private Equity: Keeping Investors Happy

Private equity fundraising has fallen on tough times, driving demand for these jobs, skills, and experiences.

Kiplinger

Your Paycheck Stops in Retirement, but Your Life Doesn’t: An Expert Guide to Planning for a Confident Future

Social Security will replace only about 40% of your salary, on average. A solid financial plan will help you plug the gap so you can rest easy in retirement.

Axios

“Stretched to the Breaking Point”: SNAP Cuts Spook Food Banks

“Food banks are stretched literally to the breaking point,” one leader told Axios.

Today Show

Is Lena Dunham’s ‘Too Much’ Based on a True Story? Here’s What She’s Said About the New Show

The “Girls” creator said all her projects start from a “germ” of real life.

Axios

Exclusive: Most States OK Charging Inmates for Own Incarceration

The debt wheel puts up more obstacles to escaping the poverty that likely put them in jail.

Fast Company

These 75 Housing Markets Hit a Critical Threshold in Favor of Homebuyers

Among the nation’s 200 largest housing markets, these 78 metro areas now have active inventory above 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

Real Simple

What’s Your Clutter Personality? Knowing It Could Be the Key to a Tidier Home

Determine your clutter personality type to help you find an organization strategy that works for you.

Popular Mechanics

Mathematicians Say There’s a Number So Big, It’s Literally the Edge of Human Knowledge

We’ve found the first five Busy Beaver numbers, but the sixth may be bigger than the number of atoms in the universe.

Parents

Teen Boys and ‘Love Island’ Contestants Are Calling Girls ‘My Ball’—Here’s Why

Terms of endearment for a significant other have evolved and changed over time as the human vernacular tends to do, and the latest slang has TikTokers, teens, and 'Love Island' contestants alike calling each other “my ball.” But what does it mean, and why has your teen suddenly started saying it?

Real Simple

The Messy Girl Aesthetic Is the Laid-Back Home Trend Everyone’s Embracing Right Now

If you want a home design look that’s totally you, the messy girl aesthetic (aka you-core) may be just what you seek. Learn why this style is hitting home with so many people, and how to embrace the look yourself.

The New York Times

You Saved and Saved for Retirement. Now You Need a Plan to Cash Out.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they are more worried about running out of money in retirement than dying, and many retirees could be on track to turn that fear into a stark reality.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

CNBC

These College Majors Have the Best Job Prospects — and They Aren’t What Students Expect

Which college major students choose often has significant implications for job prospects and future career potential.

The Walrus

Why Everyone You Know Is Suddenly a Birder

A pandemic pastime has grown into something deeper.

Fast Company

Why Do We Trust Certain People (Even When We Shouldn’t)?

The science of who is (and isn’t) trustworthy. Why are some people perceived as more trustworthy than others?

Harvard Business Review

Leading Is Emotionally Draining. Here’s How to Recover.

Emotional depletion is a real and significant tax of modern leadership. Recovery is no longer a luxury.

Psyche

What to Do When Someone Goes on the Defensive

Our natural impulses often make matters worse. Here’s an approach that works, grounded in conflict resolution and psychology.

Substack

The Death of Partying in the U.S.A.—and Why It Matters

Young Americans today spend 70 percent less time attending or hosting parties than they did at the beginning of the 21st century. Why?

NBC News

Job Scams Are on the Rise and More People Are Falling for Them

As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

USA TODAY

Increase Your Social Security Income in Retirement With Three Powerful Moves

There's a reason people are commonly advised not to retire on Social Security alone. The average monthly benefit won't go very far in helping seniors cover their costs.

Vox

For Years, Women Complained That This Medical Procedure Was Painful. Doctors Are Finally Listening.

How a common birth control method became the center of a reckoning.

Harvard Business Review

New Research on Why Teams Overwork—and What Leaders Can Do About It

Why do so many high-performing professionals keep working at a punishing pace, even when it damages their health, relationships, and personal well-being?

Harvard Business Review

How to Identify the Perfect Cofounder

One of the first and most important decisions entrepreneurs make is whether to go it alone or bring on cofounders.

The New York Times

Measles Cases Hit Record High, 25 Years After U.S. Eliminated the Disease

Experts worry that if vaccination rates do not improve, deadly outbreaks will become the new normal.