EDITION 847
7 DECEMBER 2020

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. So grab a brew and find out what's new.

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1. How to get through a difficult day. We all have days when we feel overwhelmed at work and when it seems like everything is going wrong. But we still have things that need to be done and taking a break is not an option. Here are some tips on how you can push through: [MORE]

2. Poll shows scale of ‘lonely’ Christmases. Twice as many people as normal are expecting to spend Christmas alone this year, according to a new poll. Among the over-64s, the figure has risen from 7% to 14% – or 1.7 million people. Just 23% of adults say they will spend Christmas with their parents, down from 35% in normal times. The data has raised concerns about a “silent epidemic of loneliness”. The Observer

3. Boris Johnson and EU agree to ‘final roll of the dice’. Boris Johnson has told the European Union that Britain must have “freedom” to make its own rules as he and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, agreed to a “final throw of the dice” this week to salvage a deal. Cabinet ministers have said the PM should pursue a no-deal Brexit unless Brussels backs down. BBC

4. Secret dossier gives ‘granular’ detail on Covid impact. The government has assembled a secret file detailing the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, with a dozen sectors rated “red” and facing significant job cuts and revenue losses. It gives “granular” detail on the effect of coronavirus on nearly 40 areas of the economy. Separately, ministers have published an assessment of the health, social and economic impacts of coronavirus. The Times

5. A new way to tackle your to-do list. Could working to 25-minute mini deadlines be the secret to fixing your productivity problems? The answer is "yes", according to a decades-old time-management technique that's now back in vogue. The Pomodoro Technique dictates that you work on a task for 25 minutes, take a short break away from your desk, then sit back down and repeat until your to-do list is complete. In theory, the short bursts of activity punctuated with regular breaks enable greater focus on the task in hand, blocking out the increased number of distractions we’re faced with every day. We cover this technique in the effectiveness module of 10/10. [MORE]

6. Why chess is booming right now. Interest in chess is booming after the release of Netflix's wildly popular Queen's Gambit about a woman chess prodigy. Chess sets are flying off the shelves in record numbers, while sign-ups for one of the world's biggest online chess communities hit records. This isn't the first time a Netflix show has boosted interest in a board game. Hit show Stranger Things has helped revive popularity in the sprawling fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons. The New York Times

7. Helping an unaware underperformer. Coaching someone who isn't meeting expectations is challenging enough. It becomes more vexing if that employee thinks they’re doing great. Not all hope is lost, though. For starters, make sure this person truly understands what they’re expected to do, how they’re falling short and what they need to do to get back on track. Without that knowledge, there's no hope for improvement. Another key move? Make sure to praise them but structure the praise in a way that makes clear what you'd like to see from them as they improve. Editor

8. Christmas cheer is in demand. People are going all in on the festive season in 2020, with Christmas tree sellers reporting sales up 24% on 2019. According to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, some sellers are having their busiest ever year, suggesting that pandemic restrictions could mean households celebrating separately are buying more trees. There have been several local campaigns to get decorations up early – and with good reason, as some psychologists suggest the novelty, colour and lights of the festive season can give mental health a boost. Daily Express

9. Lockdown prompted the ‘panic buying’ of pets. The coronavirus pandemic has led to “panic buying of pets for company”, according to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. After polling more than 2,000 dog and cat owners, the charity estimates that nearly a third of new pet owners bought an animal “on impulse” during lockdown. Chief executive Claire Horton says: “The animal welfare implications resulting from this year of extreme challenge could be profound.” Daily Mail

10. The bottom line. The bottom line: £5bn of taxpayers’ money has been wasted since April 2017 due to “bungled” transport projects, IT improvements and preparations for Brexit. The write-offs include £2.8m on antivirus software that was not compatible with computers. The Times