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A year ago, I started reading again. I say again because, like the countless friends and colleagues I’ve spoken to who have also found themselves swept up in the reading renaissance thats currently reshaping the book industrythe U.S. market is projected to grow from $40.5 billion in 2024 to $51.5 billion by 2030, with audiobooks and ebooks seeing explosive growthId lost the habit somewhere between the demands of a growing career and the chaos of early parenthood. For too long, reading was relegated to vacationsand even then, I’d be lucky to get through a full book. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2015\/08\/Two-Truths-single.png","headline":"Subscribe to Two Truths...","description":"a newsletter that explores the many truths of motherhood through news round-ups, trend reports, and expert-backed deep dives on topics that matter to moms. To learn more visit twotruths.substack.com","substackDomain":"https:\/\/twotruths.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} But last year, something shifted. Twelve months later, Ive read over 100 books and listened to countless more on audio. I sleep better, stress less, have a better work/life balance, andfor the first time in yearshave an actual hobby thats purely for my personal enjoyment. Small but strategic changes Howd I do it? Call it a perfect storm: I stumbled into the world of BookTok, finally succumbed to the siren call of the Kindle, and I made a few small but strategic lifestyle changes that opened up a whole new world of reading. Below, Ive included five of the tactics that helped me make reading a priority (read the other ten on my Substack, Two Truths). My method wont apply to every person or be conducive to every career: Im primarily a stay-at-home parent of two young kids who works part-time in the margins of my free time as a writer. But its my hope that some of what worked for me will help you find more free time, toowhether its to read one book, 100 books, or do something else entirely. 1. I typically read three different books at once. This might sound chaotic, but hear me out. Heres how I break down my three-book method . . . One book is on my Kindle, which travels with me everywhere so I can fill any spare moments (waiting at the doctors office, sitting in the school pick-up lot, or standing in line at the grocery store) by sneaking in a few pages. This is also what I read at nighttime when my kids bedtime books are done and Im waiting for them to doze offthe tablets screen has a dark mode that doesnt disturb them, and its a nice way to wind down my day. One is a hard copy, either something from the library, or something I want to annotate (I appreciate the aesthetic nostalgia of highlighters and sticky tabs). This is how I read most of my nonfiction, which I prefer to hold in my hand. Since these books are often for work, research, or self-improvement, I often read them in the morning (more on that below), during naptime, or while both kids are playing independently. One is an audiobook, which I listen to while Im driving or doing work around my home. I regularly find myself cleaning out closets or reorganizing the pantry just so I have an excuse to keep listening to a book. I typically reserve my audiobooks for easier-to-follow, lighthearted reads.That way, if I get distracted and miss something, I wont be completely lost. 2. I stopped watching unintentional TV. There was a time when Id end the day by crashing on the couch and searching for something to watch before inevitably ending up on The Office (. . . again). Now, I only watch TV when I truly want to invest my time into a series, and I really cannot stress enough how much time this opened up for me in the evening. 3. I wake up early and read before the kids wake. I never thought Id say this (Ive never been a morning person), but having young kids trained my body to wake up at 5 a.m. These days, they usually sleep until 6but if the house is still quiet when I wake, I take the chance to read a few pages of my book before the day begins. Its a peaceful ritual that keeps me off my phoneand away from notifications and mindless scrollinguntil Im ready to address whatevers waiting. 4. I keep a running list in my Notes app with every book Ive read, plus a few emojis or keywords to represent how I felt about it. This helps me remember what I loved or didnt love about a book, which is crucial when someone asks me for a reading recommendation. I also like the sense of accomplishment that comes from scrolling through my list. 5. I chose to prioritize reading, and then built boundaries around it. Bottom line: I could certainly be doing a host of other things during the extra time Ive dug out of my days and nights; the unpacked boxes that have been sitting in my basement since our move two years ago would probably like a word. Maybe I’m missing out on some great series or films that I would have stumbled upon, and I could always tackle my overflowing inbox in that open hour at 5 a.m. But for me, reading offers a pretty effortless and accessible escape from the news, noise, and inevitable dilemmas that pop up dailyand those moments of peace are priceless. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2015\/08\/Two-Truths-single.png","headline":"Subscribe to Two Truths...","description":"a newsletter that explores the many truths of motherhood through news round-ups, trend reports, and expert-backed deep dives on topics that matter to moms. To learn more visit twotruths.substack.com","substackDomain":"https:\/\/twotruths.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
One of the most notable features of President Donald Trumps big beautiful bill passed by the House early Thursday is a series of tax cuts exempting tips, overtime, and Social Security from taxes. The White House said no taxes on overtime and tips makes good on two of President Trumps cornerstone campaign promises and benefits hardworking Americans where they need it the mosttheir paychecks. The so-called populist tax measures have garnered headlines and won praise from Republican lawmakers, as well as unions representing police and firefighters. And lawmakers in 19 states from Massachusetts to Mississippi have proposed their own no tax on overtime bills this year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. What has received far less attention, aside from a legal blog or two, is that the Trump administration just made it more difficult for millions of American workers to earn overtimeand actually benefit from the tax measure. The U.S. Department of Labor has quietly paused its appeals of a ruling by a Texas judge that reversed the Biden administrations changes to the overtime rulewhich expanded the right to overtime pay for 4.3 million salaried American workers. The rule had increased the salary threshold for overtime exemption from $35,568 to $43,888 on July 1, 2024, and then to $58,656 on January 1, 2025. A spokesperson for the Department of Labor did not immediately return requests from Capital & Main for comment. The rule was spearheaded by Biden administration Secretary of Labor Julie Su, who noted the irony of Trumps tax proposal on overtime pay, telling Capital & Main: You cant benefit from no taxes on overtime if youre not even paid overtime. She added: When you work longer hours, you should be paid for it. Thats why we expanded overtime pay to 4 million more Americans. This administration has walked away from that rule, showing yet again that you cant have an administration of billionaires and depend on them to fight for working people. Cutting the number of workers eligible for overtime means less money in workers pockets. Judy Conti, government affairs director of the National Employment Law Project, called the tax measure a gimmick, noting that the Trump administration is already making it easier to classify people as independent contractors, rather than employees, and they arent entitled to overtime at all. Trumps allies in the House, including Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, have claimed that the measure could impact more than 80 million hourly workers. But in reality, only 8% of them are estimated to earn overtime pay on a regular basis, according to the Budget Lab at Yale. That Doesnt Help Me Among those workers is Terri, a cashier at a Dollar Tree store in Brooklyn, who was nonplussed when asked about no tax on overtime. So what? That doesnt help me. I dont even get overtime, no matter how many hours I work. The workers who would benefit from the exemption tend to be employed in sectors such as manufacturing, mining, and public safety. One of the most vocal supporters of the measure is the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose members often work many hours of overtime a month. Firefighters already work 53 hours a week before even qualifying for overtime pay. Thats 35% more hours a week than the average worker. The proposal to eliminate taxes on overtime would bring meaningful relief to firefighters, helping them keep more of what they earn while working long hours to keep their communities safe, Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in a statement to NBC News. The measure is estimated to cost some $866 billion over the next 10 years, per the Budget Lab at Yale. And state measures could have a devastating impact on their budgets, hurting their ability to pay for essential services. In Alabama, which became the first state to exempt overtime pay from state taxes, the measure cost the state $230 million in the first nine months of 2024, cutting off millions in funding for the states Education Trust Fund, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In the end, exempting overtime from taxes is not a real pro-worker policy, write EPIs David Cooper and Nina Mast. Instead, it is a giveaway to businesses that would create new inequities in the tax code while expanding employer power and draining public budgets of resources for all the thingsschools, infrastructure, safety, healththat workers, their families, and their communities actually need to thrive. This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.
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E-Commerce
These days, our tech experiences are all about speedand our expectations for instant action are actually kinda insane. Think about it: Not so long ago, phones, computers, and especially the internet were all painfully slow (at least, by todays sonic-speed standards). Things have come a long way in a short time. And for most of us now, if something doesnt load within a fraction of second, we grow impatient and maybe give up entirelylike when a webpage has the audacity to take a handful of seconds to show up and we click away in an indignant huff. Hey, weve all been there. Whats especially wild, though, is that while the standards for speed have skyrocketed forward, the way we measure this stuff has remained mostly the same. At least, until now. This week, Ive got an incredibly cool and tantalizingly new tool to share with ya. Its an overdue update to the way we think about speed and assessing the allegedly lightning-fast connections we all pay for. Get ready for a whole new way to think about the tech in front of you. Psst: If you love these types of tools as much as I do, check out my free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. You’ll be the first to find all sorts of simple tech treasures! The internet speed testreinvented Traditionally, when we talk about tools for testing your tech connection speed, we think about things like Ooklas Speedtest, the native Google speed testing system, or the newer Cloudflare Internet Speed Test service. Weve covered those types of tools before. Theyre all useful, in different waysbut theyre also all variations on the same tried-and-true type of speed assessment thats been around for ages now. Todays tool is different. But it comes from a familiar sourcesomeone who knows this area inside and out. Its the brand-new brainchild of the guy who created Ooklas Speedtest, arguably the first internet speed test that became broadly known and embraced by the masses. Its called Orb. And its decidedly different from your typical tech speed tester. Orb works by looking not only at the basic power of your connection but also its responsiveness and reliability. The idea is that all of that adds up to create a more complete and ultimately meaningful view of your connection quality. And that number isnt only about bragging rights, either: Its meant to help you make sure youre actually getting the speed youre paying forand then able to pinpoint precisely where and when any problems pop up. Youll need about two minutes to set Orb up and take it out for a spin. First, install the appropriate Orb app for whatever type of device youre using. Orb is free to use, and its available for most major platformsAndroid, iOS, Windows, MacOS, even Linux. If youre using a Chromebook, you can go with either the Android app or the Linux version. Open up the app and follow the quick steps to get it set up and ready. Orb will prompt you to sign in or create an account, but you can skip over that if youd rather. The account just makes it possible to sync your testing data and view it from other devices. Once that swift onetime setups out of the way, youll see Orbs dashboardwith a tremendous amount of detail that lets you peek under the hood and learn exactly how much your current connection leaves to be desired. Orb assesses your internet connection across numerous measures beyond just basic data transfers. Specifically: Responsiveness tells you how quickly your connection acts and how much lag youve got going. Reliability looks at the consistency of your connection and its responsiveness over time. And speed is the more standard measure of how quickly bits and bytes move across your connection (as measured by Cloudflarethe same basic speed testing tool weve recommended before!). It all adds up to give you a never-before-visible complete picture of your internet speed qualityon your current device as well as any other devices on which youve installed the app and signed in. If you sign into Orb, you can see results from any connected devices in a single streamlined dashboard. Knowledge is power, as they say. And with Orbs in-depth intelligence firmly in your mitts, youll be armed to the gills and ready to confirm that everythings working the way it oughtaand ready to point your finger at the precise problem, if and when one appears. Orb is available on all major platforms, via a variety of native apps. Its completely free for personal use. (The company also sells large-scale enterprise software setups, which seems to be where it intends to make money.) The tool comes from known, reputable internet researchers and is explicit about the fact that it doesnt do anything disconcerting ith the limited amount of data it collects. Treat yourself to even more tech-enhancing goodness with my free Cool Tools newsletter. You’ll get an instant introduction to an incredible audio app and a new off-the-beaten-path gem every Wednesday!
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E-Commerce
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