The Mindbender kids around
June 19, 2025
What does it take to make a city earn the title of Most Livable?
According to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (??), you need stability, quality health care, and an eye toward preserving the environment, among other things.
And the EIU says that after three years as the Most Livable City in the World, Vienna, Austria has been bumped to number two. Your new number one?
Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
A U.S. city doesn’t show up until #23: Honolulu.
Find the story and the top ten here.
Let's get on with the countdown.
Along with today's Mindbender you get these bonus stories:
New rules for booze
Killing your momentum
Doing future-you a favor
But first, today's Mindbender:
One in every 50 kids born in America today will go through life without one of these.
I'll have a clue coming up.
New rules for booze
Okay, maybe not RULES, but at least a new stance.
For years, the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” has recommended no more than one to two alcoholic beverages per day.
Their updated guidelines are coming out in a few weeks, and they are removing that recommendation.
They’re not claiming there’s any less danger to your well-being, but they are removing the reference to any specific amount. They might simply encourage “moderation.”
Some see this as a major win for the alcohol industry, which has been “threatened by heightened scrutiny of alcohol’s health effects.”
Personally, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found I can’t drink like I used to. I’m now more like one to two per WEEK.
Killing your momentum
When are you most productive each week at your job?
A report says our productivity peaks at 11 A.M. on Monday. I guess it’s all downhill after that.
The report also claims the average worker deals with 53 tasks per week that actually derail their momentum.
That, in turn, leads to more than three hours of lost productivity.
Mostly, people are turned off by “repetitive tasks,” and this is where A.I. is making its biggest move.
It’s an interesting report. You can read about it here.
Here's a clue for the Mindbender:
Makes it easier (and quicker) to fill out legal forms.
Doing future-you a favor
If you’re going to do a good deed for someone today, that’s great. But don’t forget to do a good deed for yourself, too.
Specifically, do something that Future You will appreciate.
An online thread asked people to name the hacks they can do today so their future self won’t suffer. The answers included:
- Getting clothes ready the night before work
- Flossing
- Preparing the coffee maker the night before
And I love that someone said: “Writing everything down right away so future me isn’t stuck trying to remember what past me forgot.”
That is my life these days. You should see the Notes section on my phone.
And now, the answer to today's Mindbender:
What will these kids go through life without?
A middle name.
So how do they know when their parents are REALLY mad at them?
You know what I’m talking about.
That'll do it for today's Mindbender. Thank you for being part of The Club.
Enjoy your day!
Dom
My whole life is "have to."
I had no idea middle names were falling to the wayside. I always thought of it as a way for both parents to win at naming their kid. 🤷🏻♀️