As we enter a new year, many of us feel the pull to set resolutions. The pattern is familiar. We make a list. We write down goals like eating better, exercising more, organizing our homes, or spending less time on our phones. These are fine intentions, but often they become just another layer of pressure. Another set of expectations stacked on top of the ones we already carry. The word “resolution” ends up feeling like a January version of a task list. But that is not what the word means. Not really.

I’ve struggled with some form of ADD throughout different phases of my life. It hasn’t always been diagnosed, and it hasn’t always looked the same, but it’s been there. Some days it’s just a low-level fog. Other days, corralling my thoughts is like chasing 37 cats around the room.

Over time, I’ve tried a number of approaches to get things done. Some worked for a while. Others just added to the noise. But recently I’ve been trying something that’s surprisingly effective: pick three tasks. Only three.

Write them down. Do them. Then pick three more.

While the changing leaves of October might dazzle tourists, for many Seattle residents, the tail end of the month marks the beginning of a mental health dip. A recent survey of 100 clinical psychologists and mental health researchers sheds light on why late October, in particular, tends to be a mood sinkhole in the Emerald City.

1. The Light Switch Effect
Dr. Maria Klein, a seasonal affective disorder (SAD) specialist, notes that around October 25, Seattle sees a sharp decline in sunlight, often losing 2–3 minutes of daylight per day. “It’s not just gradual darkness,” she explains. “It’s the suddenness that jolts the brain’s serotonin production.”

You know the future is strange when your best shot at a stable career is majoring in “Robot Psychology” or “Data Plumber.” Thanks to the AI revolution which, for those keeping track, promised to free us from work but instead retrained us to make ChatGPT write emails, we now face a curious inversion of the job market.

Here, then, are the top 10 college degrees predicted for the Class of 2035:

1. Prompt Engineering
Because writing good AI prompts is harder than writing haikus. Future students will spend four years studying the subtle difference between “generate an image” and “create a vibey aesthetic.”