January 16, 2014

You Are Less Industrious Than You Think

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Catherine Rampell reports today that we work less than we think we do and sleep more than we think we do.  She has a few guesses about why this might be, along with the possibility that it’s merely a statistical aberration. But my guess is that she’s right when she suggests that “people just systematically exaggerate their industriousness.” For some reason, we all like the idea that we are uniquely besieged with too much work and too little sleep and yet somehow manage to perform our jobs awesomely anyway. It’s just one of the little fairy tales we tell to keep ourselves plugging along.

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A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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