Psychology - The DESK Magazine

The hack for self-discipline you learned as a child

The word discipline itself is intimidating. It implies mental toil. Manual labor. Forfeiting pleasure and immediate satisfaction for a nebulous, far-off reward. But it’s much less complicated than that.

by Tobias van Schneider

Luck is a dangerous word

I like to joke that when someone asks how you became successful, just say you got lucky. This answer satisfies everyone. It's all people expect and need to hear.

by Tobias van Schneider

The old artist couldn't sell their work. The new artist sells their soul.

Vincent van Gogh, universally considered one of the greatest artists of all time, sold just a few paintings while he was alive. He painted nearly 1,000 pieces during his life, but only found fame after his death.

by Tobias van Schneider

It’s all a game

Despite popular media that suggests otherwise, video games can significantly improve people’s lives.

by Tobias van Schneider

The slow creep of mediocrity

Open the app. Scroll. See a baby photo, a selfie paired with a poem, somebody’s dinner. Keep scrolling. See a meme. Hit like. Type LOL, face muscles unmoving. Continue to scroll: Past a latte, an ad campaign, a polished photo shoot. Past more stolen memes and recycled jokes and

by Tobias van Schneider

Welcome to The Startup

This is it. After two weeks spent poring over your welcome packet, studying the internal Wikipedia, jotting down countless ideas and agonizing over your first-day outfit, you’re here.

by Tobias van Schneider

There’s more than meets the eye

You see the edited Instagram post. Not the countless photos and strained angles it took to get that shot. You see the launched product. Not the dozens of failed ones that never saw the light of day. You see a shark attack in the headlines. Not the thousands of people