TBT: Productivity is not working

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 04.29.21 Optimization and self-improvement have long served as powerful ways to cope—a productive solution, even. But in the pandemic they transformed into more of a toxic treadmill—if you stopped running, even for a second, you'd fall flat on your face. Read all about why hyper-productivity isn't working anymore, plus the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago below.   Productivity Is Not Working My generation learned that relentless self-optimization was a way to cope—but in this crisis, everything looks different. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year How to Whirl a Squirrel off of a Bird Feeder In a viral video, a backyard snack bandit gets his just desserts. Next time he'll want to check the physics of circular motion. Everything You Need to Work From Home Like a Pro Gear can make or break your home office setup. Here's our ultimate list of the best monitors, desks, webcams, headphones, and more. How to Escape From a Sunken Submarine First of all, you can't just open the hatch when you're trapped at the bottom of the ocean. But there is a way out—it requires physics and some audacity. The Power Plant of the Future Is Right in Your Home If we want more renewable energy, our grids will have to manage themselves. A small experiment in Colorado is lighting the way. 26 Hours on a Saharan Freight Train Photographer Adrian Guerin rode Mauritania's Train du Desert, one of the world's longest trains, at the hottest time of the year. It nearly broke him. Build Cities for Bikes, Buses, and Feet—Not Cars San Francisco's MTA boss Jeff Tumlin is one of a new breed of planner trying to kick cars out of the city. That's good for business, good for people, and amazing for the planet. GET WIRED Spring Sale: The Sequel! Ending Soon: Get WIRED for $10 $5. You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.