EDITION 1003
22 JANUARY 2024

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to train your tired brain. If you're stressed out and tired, it's hard to learn new things. Exercise, sleep, and a good diet are all essential for keeping your brain in peak condition, but you can also do the following to perform at your cognitive and creative best: [1] Change perspectives. Improve mental flexibility by rapidly trying on new points of view. This exercises your mind. For example, what would a potential customer think about this idea? Your boss? Your competitors? [2] Reboot. Take a break from work every hour, or more often if you’re already frazzled. Get out of your chair, water a plant, or just let your mind wander. These breaks recharge your brain. [3] Summon a positive thought. Negative emotions impair thinking, memory, creativity, and strategic thinking. Editor

2. Economy to 'bounce back'. The UK economy will rebound in the second half of 2024, according to a leading forecaster. In its winter forecast, the advisory business EY Item Club said the economy will benefit from falling inflation and lower interest rates, boosting growth and allowing the government to offer pre-election giveaways. The accountancy firm said interest rates should fall from 5.25% to 4% by the end of the year. The Guardian

3. AI to disrupt 40% of all jobs. The surge in artificial intelligence applications and their implications for the workforce is expected to be a hot topic of discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week. Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued a warning that nearly 40% of jobs globally could be affected by developments in artificial intelligence, for better or for worse. A new IMF analysis shows the effects are likely to be particularly acute in advanced economies, where about 60% of positions could see an impact, compared with about a quarter in low-income countries. Bloomberg

4. Our society’s life-affirming dream has died. In 1980, almost half of 18- to 34-year-olds in Britain lived in their own home. Now, a mere one in five do; most live with their parents. No mystery there. Aside from the odd blip, average house prices between the 1910s and 1990s were roughly four times average earnings in the UK. Today, that ratio has doubled. It now takes 13 years to save for a deposit for the average property, where it took just three in the mid-1990s; and for the average London property, it’s 30 years (up from four). So for many, the dream of home ownership is dead. Financial Times

5. Schedule send draws anger. The "schedule send" feature on email, like other work tools, has its fans and critics. Supporters say the option allows them to contact someone if they’re working late at night without bothering them. Working mothers, for example, who can't respond to email until after-hours due to childcare, like "schedule send's" flexibility. But, detractors say "schedule send" masks when and how people work, arguing immediate responses should not be expected. Others say companies should take steps to curtail after-hours communication. Financial Times

6. Eating earlier lowers health risks. Every hour’s delay in eating breakfast is linked to a 6% increased risk of heart disease, according to a new study. Eating after 9pm is linked to a 28% higher risk of stroke, while a longer pause between supper and breakfast is linked with a lower risk of stroke. This is according to a European study of 100,000 people, where the cohort’s average age was 42; 79% were women. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide; it takes 18 million lives each year and around 8 million of those deaths are diet-related. The scientists say their study shows it’s not just what we eat that matters, but when we eat it. World Economic Forum

7. Final episode watched by more than 10 million. More than 10 million people have watched the final episode of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, making it one of the highest-rated TV dramas of the decade, figures show. It has also become ITV’s best-performing drama since Broadchurch in 2017. The four-part series, which depicts the real-life campaign by a subpostmaster and his colleagues to clear their name of fraud, was broadcast by ITV over four nights at the start of the year. Yahoo

8. Storm Isha brings 99mph winds. Widespread weather warnings are in place after Storm Isha brought 99mph gusts and power outages. Tens of thousands are without power, including 45,000 in Northern Ireland, 8,000 in north-west England, and 3,000 in Wales. The Sellafield nuclear site suspended operations on Sunday. A “tornado watch” zone was in place for Northern Ireland, as well as parts of Scotland and northern England, but expired late on Sunday. Storm Isha is the ninth named storm since September. BBC

9. It wasn’t all bad. There are 195 countries in the world and around 40 – including the UK – have made a legal or formal policy commitment to reach net zero by 2050. The UK ranked second in the 2022 worldwide Environmental Performance Index (up from fourth in 2020). Global Carbon Project research shows that, among the G20, the UK has the fastest cumulative fall in territorial CO2 emissions. The UK’s carbon emissions now total less than 320 million tonnes a year, against 652 million tonnes in 1970. On a per capita basis, the same organisation shows the UK’s emissions are at 1855 levels. The Spectator

10. The bottom line. Britain is "three times sicker" than it was 10 years ago, after new figures suggest that "just short of 3 million people [are] off work due to chronic illness and long-term sickness", meaning around 5% of the entire country is now on long-term sick leave, costing the UK economy billions. Prospect