The Upgrade by Lifehacker

This week we're chatting with writer and user researcher Ximena Vengoechea about how to improve on our listening skills and have better, deeper conversations. Listen to hear Ximena give great tips on how to be more present in a conversation, how to set boundaries when you're someone's default listening ear, and the best kinds of questions to ask to prompt more interesting interactions. Ximena's new book is called, Listen Like You Mean It: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection...

This week we're learning how to get better with deadlines with help from journalist Christopher Cox. Christopher is the former chief editor of Harper’s Magazine and executive editor of GQ, and has a new book out called The Deadline Effect: How to Work Like It’s The Last Minute—Before The Last Minute...

This week we're learning how to grow up with help from writer Julie Lythcott-Haims. Julie is the New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise An Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, as well as Real American: A Memoir. Listen to hear Julie's advice on navigating your career path fresh out of college, how to get better at connecting with strangers, and how to best support a young person in this transition into full adulthood...

This week we're learning how to fight the burnout we might not even realize we're suffering from with help from journalist Anne Helen Petersen. Tune in to hear Anne's advice on how to recognize your own burnout, how to make space in your day for a breather, and how we as a society can start to change this culture of hyper-productivity. Anne's latest book is Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, which comes out in September...

This week we're learning how to nail perfect timing with New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink. Hear Daniel explain why certain hours of the day are more productive than others, how we can battle the mid-afternoon slump, and why certain dates are more effective for starting a new routine than others. Daniel's most recent book is When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing...

This week we're learning how to reacclimate ourselves with the "return to normal" with help from therapist Chamin Ajjan. Chamin brings her 20+ years of experience in psychotherapy to help us tackle everything from how to get comfortable with parties again, to how to transition from online to in-person dating, and how to handle those difficult relationships with people who you've disagreed with over the course of the pandemic...

This week we're learning how time off can actually help us be more productive, with help from writers John Fitch and Max Frenzel. Listen to hear how to build a healthy rest ethic, what leisure practices can help spark creativity, and how we can encourage more time off in our productivity-obsessed society. John and Max are the authors of the book Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress...

This week we're learning how to start being a little friendlier to the earth without completely overhauling our lives with help from activists Laurie David and Heather Reisman. Laurie is an environmental activist and an award-winning documentary film producer, having produced such films as Fed Up, The Social Dilemma, and the Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth...

This week we're kicking our butts into gear and learning how to actually enjoy the act of running with help from Strength Running founder, Jason Fitzgerald. Jason is a USA Track & Field certified coach and host of The Strength Running Podcast. Listen to hear Jason's advice on how to actually start a running habit as a beginner, the best strategies for injury prevention, and why perfection is not what we should be aiming for...

This week we're tackling our cravings for processed food with help from journalist Michael Moss. Michael is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, and his latest book is called Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Listen to hear Michael explain the science and psychology behind what gets us addicted to junk food, and how we can use this information to conquer our bad habits...