

No one would consider the shorter, darker, colder days to be fertile ground for positivity. With a scroll of the timeline and a quick glance at the TV, we can collectively agree that, at this time of the year, you have to fight for your happiness – it’s not just going to drop in your lap. But like any fight, there are preparations, tactics, even cheat codes, that can give you the advantage. Here’s the inside track on defeating winter blues this season and making it through to the other side like a champion.



From softening up your wardrobe to swimming – how to winter like a winner. Read more in The Journal 

21 Ways To Get Through The Rest Of Winter



Daily “five-to-nine” schedule for productive people: wake up at 5.00am, journal for 20 minutes, hit the gym by 5.30am followed by a high-protein breakfast at 6.30am, then meditate for half an hour at 7.00am before basking in the glow of the self-actualised being you’re becoming while the rest of the world sleeps.



What the motivational TikToks, podcasts and ChatGPT responses get wrong about human productivity – and how to be happier. Read more in The Journal

Three Tips That Are Worth 1,000 Self-Help Books



It’s barely been a few weeks since we first peered, eyes blinking, into the dawn of a new year. Maybe you’ve used the time since wisely to entrench good vibes, great intentions and positive routines into your everyday life. Or – and we’re not here to judge – perhaps you’re looking for something to distract you from the frigid hellscape of January. If it’s the latter, or, indeed, cultural enrichment counts toward the former, then look no further than your nearest screen, big and small. Here are the films and TV shows to watch out for, then watch, over the next few months.



10 things to look forward to in 2026, from Project Hail Mary to the latest Game Of Thrones spin-off. Read more in The Journal

 What To Watch Now: The Best New Films And TV Shows 



The new year arrives with its usual fanfare: the gym queues, the detoxifying juices, the promises we loudly declare and quietly abandon by 14 January. But this year, you deserve better. You deserve momentum. You deserve routines that don’t collapse the first time a biscuit crosses your path. Here are a range of ways to start the year brilliantly, backed by coaches, stylists, trainers and medics – and one or two life lessons learnt the hard way.



How to start the year brilliantly according to coaches, stylists, trainers and medics – plus, one or two life lessons learnt the hard way. Read more in The Journal

21 Ways To Get Your New Year Off To A Flying Start



You think you’re fiercely competitive? You’ve clearly never played _Connect 4_ against me. So, as much as I love the holidays, it can all go wrong when someone pulls out a board game. If the point of family classics such as _Cluedo_ and _Monopoly_ is spending time together, then destroying opponents is not really in the spirit of things. And yet, every year, to exert board-game dominance, I find myself resorting to cheating. Assuming you’re made of sterner stuff, ethically speaking, and you’d rather rely on a combination of strategy and luck, here are some tips to stack the cards in your favour, so to speak.

You think you’re fiercely competitive? You’ve clearly never played Connect 4 against me. So, as much as I love the holidays, it can all go wrong when someone pulls out a board game. If the point of family classics such as Cluedo and Monopoly is spending time together, then destroying opponents is not really in the spirit of things. And yet, every year, to exert board-game dominance, I find myself resorting to cheating. Assuming you’re made of sterner stuff, ethically speaking, and you’d rather rely on a combination of strategy and luck, here are some tips to stack the cards in your favour, so to speak.




Expert tactics for turning the tables to conquer Monopoly, Scrabble and more this festive season – without flipping the board in frustration. Read more in The Journal

How To Win Classic Family Board Games (And Crush All Opponents)



Clutter comes in many guises, both literal and figurative. Too much stuff in your home, too many emails in your inbox or too many thoughts at once can crowd your life and impinge your happiness. Use a new season to sweep away the old disorder and start afresh with a new-found sense of accomplishment, resolve and opportunity.



Too much stuff in your home, too many emails in your inbox or too many thoughts at once can crowd your life and impinge your happiness. Use a new season to sweep away the clutter and start afresh with a new-found sense of accomplishment, resolve and opportunity. Read more in the Journal

13 Ways To Spring Clean Your Life



If you’re looking to visit some of the buzziest after-hour spots around, chances are you’ll end up at a listening bar, the vinyl-meets-drinking experience that’s taking the hospitality world by storm. But listening bars aren’t exactly new. The concept first came to prominence in the 1950s in Japan, where intimate crowds of audiophiles would gather to drink and listen to jazz records in sound-centric jazz kissas, where sound systems would be designed and optimised to allow guests to fully appreciate the music, in a much more detailed and complete way than they would anywhere else.



Japanese-inspired listening bars are on the rise – here are our favourites around the world right now. Read more in The Journal

8 Of The World’s Best Listening Bars To Unplug – And Tune In



Curved lines in interior design have been going round in circles in recent years, so how do you bring shapely forms into your space in a way that feels fresh, yet timeless, for 2025 – and why should you? Below, five designers and architects make the case for curves and share their best techniques.



Curved lines in interior design have been going round in circles in recent years. We asked five experts to make the case for curves and to share fresh ways to use them in 2025. Read more in The Journal

Get Ahead Of The Curve With This Year’s Hottest Interior Trend



Tokyo is a city of extremes. It is now the largest metropolis in the world, a forest of glassy skyscrapers, inner-city temples and hidden ramen shops, not to mention some of the best menswear on the planet. A short walk around Shibuya will leave even the most style-conscious man from elsewhere feeling entirely underdressed. It’s no surprise then that MR PORTER stocks so many Japanese brands.



Style, food, appreciation for details – Japan offers a disorientating mix of ancient customs and cutting-edge technology, with some of the oldest living people on the planet. And Tokyo is its hub. So, what can we learn about living in the biggest city on Earth? A lot, it turns out. Read more in The Journal

15 Ways To Improve Your Life, Japanese Style



A strong romantic relationship is, above all else, a constant learning experience. Over time, you discover your partner’s likes and dislikes, you discern what you need and what they need. In a long-term relationship, it can be easy to become passive or take things for granted. And if you’re in a new relationship, you can start off on the wrong foot by not being considerate of your partner’s needs. So, to avoid some of the biggest relationship pitfalls, here’s our guide on how to be a better partner – no matter where you are on your romantic journey.



Whether you’re heading into year 10 or day 10 of a relationship, bone up on how to be a better partner – they’ll thank you for it. Read more in The Journal

15 Ways To Be A Better Partner



With awards season underway, are you finding yourself wishing for aficionado-worthy film insights? There’s still time to brush up and impress with your knowledge – and, more importantly, to improve your appreciation and enjoyment of movie watching, too. Take note from a critic’s tips.



When the time for statuettes comes around, do you finding yourself wishing for movie aficionado-worthy insights? Take note of a critic’s tips to impress with your knowledge – and, more important, to improve your enjoyment of film-watching, too. Read more in The Journal

How To Become A Film Buff In Time For Awards Season



“Why are you single?” So goes the enquiry of the happily partnered-off. A reply might come in any manner of ways: “I can’t seem to find anyone.” Or perhaps, “I just got out of a relationship.” The concerned party, desperate for the single person to find happiness, sympathises in the knowledge that it’s just a temporary state of affairs, extolling the virtues and paramount importance of partnering off with someone if true happiness is to be found.


Our society is one which attributes immense value to romantic love. Take Valentine’s Day – just one of many times in the year in which a dictated romanticism states that couples are, categorically, succeeding better in life. “We devalue people that are single and, in doing that, we devalue ourselves if we’re single,” says Raul Aparici, a psychotherapist and head of faculty at The School of Life. “It might be that we’re quite happy being on our own. But then we start to think, what might people think of me?”

“Why are you single?” So goes the enquiry of the happily partnered-off. A reply might come in any manner of ways: “I can’t seem to find anyone.” Or perhaps, “I just got out of a relationship.” The concerned party, desperate for the single person to find happiness, sympathises in the knowledge that it’s just a temporary state of affairs, extolling the virtues and paramount importance of partnering off with someone if true happiness is to be found.

Our society is one which attributes immense value to romantic love. Take Valentine’s Day – just one of many times in the year in which a dictated romanticism states that couples are, categorically, succeeding better in life. “We devalue people that are single and, in doing that, we devalue ourselves if we’re single,” says Raul Aparici, a psychotherapist and head of faculty at The School of Life. “It might be that we’re quite happy being on our own. But then we start to think, what might people think of me?”




Our society is one which attributes immense value to romantic love. But there is huge contentment and fulfilment to be found in learning how to really be on our own – and celebrating it. Read more in The Journal

How To Enjoy Being Alone – And The Benefits Of Doing So



In honour of Black History Month, we asked five inspiring Black creatives – spanning fashion, photography, acting, music and poetry – to share the film that has had the biggest impact on their life and why it means so much to them.



In honour of Black History Month, we asked inspiring Black creatives – spanning fashion, photography, acting, music and poetry – to share the movie that has had the biggest impact on their life and why it means so much to them. Read more in The Journal

 8 Brilliant Black Creatives On The Film That Shaped Them



Starting 2025 with an abundance of substance and style, we bring together five of the most exciting actors of the moment, shining the spotlight on their conversation-starting, zeitgeist-shaping projects. As they unite in an east London restaurant, we sit down with them to hear about their career highs, passion projects and future ambitions.



Starting the year with an abundance of substance and style, we bring together five of the most exciting actors of the moment, shining the spotlight on their conversation-starting work

Presenting The Actors To Watch In 2025



The benefits of playing sport are well known – from the physical to the psychological and social. But taking up a new pursuit as an adult can be daunting. Below, athletes, coaches and team leaders in football, golf, boxing and running share their advice for picking up a new sport, regardless of your age or ability.



The benefits of playing sport are well known – but taking up a new physical pursuit as an adult can be daunting. Here, experts from football, golf, boxing and running share their advice for picking up a new sport, regardless of your age or ability. Read more in The Journal

How To Take Up A New Sport As An Adult – Whatever Your Ability – And Why You Should

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