EDITION 743
10 DECEMBER 2018

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I'd be very grateful if you did.

1. How to monitor your goals. Having goals is a good thing. But the current trend of self-monitoring, whether through time trackers or fitness tracker, means we are constantly evaluating ourselves: the sales we make, the hours we work, the miles we run. Over-monitoring can get tiring and cause us to lose sight of what really matters. Avoid this trap by taking a more humane approach. [READ MORE]
    
2. Majority of Britons now want to remain in the EU. A majority of the country now thinks Britain should remain inside the EU, according to a new poll. The new research found that 52% favour staying in the trading bloc. The results also show that almost 50% think the withdrawal agreement settled by Theresa May is a “bad deal” for Britain. The news comes days before MPs vote on the PM’s plan. The Independent
    
3. Microsoft pips Apple. Microsoft overtook Apple last week to become the world’s biggest company by market capitalisation. Last Friday, Mircosoft’s share price rise by 0.7%, valuing the company at $851bn, while Apple’s stock fell by 1%, giving it a market cap of $847bn. Apple hit a value of $1trn in August, but it share price has fallen by 15% since. Microsoft has fared better, falling by just 4%. Forbes
    
4. The world’s “diabolical” diet. Around the world, 30% of children do not eat fruit every day, yet 44% drink sugary drinks daily, according to a new report from the University of London’s Centre for Food Policy. Globally, about 150.8 million children aged under five are stunted, 50.5 million are wasted and 38.5 million are overweight. Of 23,000 food products tested, 69% were found to be of relatively low nutritional value. The Guardian
    
5. Blair told government to keep advisory deals secret. Tony Blair asked government officials to keep details of lucrative post-Downing Street advisory work hidden from the public. The year after he stepped down as PM, Blair wrote a letter insisting that any contracts he struck on behalf of his new consultancy firm must remain “confidential” to protect his new clients, including foreign governments and leading international companies. Sunday Telegraph
    
6. Sleep schedule. Researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute found that committing to a regular bedtime is key to keeping the body healthy and the mind sharp. People who slept and woke at the same times every day were less likely to suffer from high blood sugar and high blood pressure, and reduced their risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Irregular sleepers were also more likely to report depression and stress than regular sleepers, both of which are tied to heart health. ‘It’s past my bedtime!’ is a healthy excuse after all. Duke Health
    
7. Eight schools including Eton dominate Oxbridge. Just eight fee-paying schools send as many pupils to Oxford and Cambridge as all the other schools in the country, data from education charity the Sutton Trust reveals. Pupils from private schools are more than twice as likely to go to a Russell Group university than those from state comprehensives, according to the new figures. BBC
    
8. When will 5G launch in the UK?Technology giant Samsung and chipmaker Qualcomm have unveiled a prototype smartphone that will lay the foundations for a new cellular network set to arrive next year. In a big reveal at its Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii, Qualcomm has demonstrated the 5G network compatibility of its new 855 processor using Samsung prototype 5G handsets. The new network is up to 100 times faster than current cellular connections. Financial Times
    
9. Turner Prize won by iPhone film artist. The 2018 Turner Prize was awarded yesterday to iPhone filmmaker Charlotte Prodger, whose work includes a highly personal account of coming out as gay in Scotland. The 44-year-old said she was “quite overwhelmed” and “very touched” to win the £25,000 art award for two videos that she made on her smartphone. Daily Mail
    
10. The bottom line. A study by Kingston University found that, on average, people interact with their phones 2,617 times a day, which equates to two hours and 42 minutes. Awareness is the first step and an app such as Moment can tell you how long you spend on your device. By setting limits on our own digital use, we not only show our children how to be mindful around screen time, but we also get back to those extra hours to focus on what’s really important. Ed.