The Know Daily - Monday 4 March 2024

_{Read in 5m 14s ∙ Listening to Raye ∙}

A social worker turned interior designer is revamping the homes of social housing tenants to support women and children’s wellbeing and boost their self-esteem. Emily Wheeler founded Furnishing Futures after seeing how families escaping domestic violence are often rehoused in empty properties, and the charity uses donated furniture to create beautiful interiors 👇 and support their recovery. 

With thanks to Wild Nutrition - the brand pioneering naturally-sourced, scientifically studied Food-Grown supplements - for bringing you stories celebrating women all week.

🚂 Rail fares rise

Train fares increased by 4.9% in England and Wales on Sunday. 

Can you put this into perspective?
Sure. Yesterday’s hike is expected to add “hundreds of pounds” to yearly travel costs for many commuters, said The Guardian, with analysis showing the rise would add almost £150 to an annual season ticket from York to Leeds.

In Scotland, rail fares will go up by 8.7% from April.

How’s it gone down? 
A spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport said that passengers would be “rightly angry” at the latest increase in fares, also saying that rises were pushing people to switch “from the railway to the roads”. And as The Independent noted, the 4.9% hike comes as rail cancellations are currently among the highest levels for a decade.

But the government defended the increase, saying that rail revenues were still about 20% below pre-pandemic levels - and that they had made a significant intervention to keep fares down.

Is the situation the same across the country?
Not quite. As The Guardian pointed out, the rise “comes in contrast” to policy in London, where Tube, Overground and bus fares are frozen for another year (although daily fare caps on multiple journeys will rise). 

And from this week, Transport for London will begin a three-month trial of no peak fares on Fridays, in a post-pandemic initiative aimed at encouraging more people back into the office to give a “much-needed boost” to the hospitality, business and leisure sectors.

Finally - is there any way to save on rail tickets?!
Thankfully, yes. Money Saving Expert has this guide on 18 (!) different ways to save, along with plenty of practical information. 

👩‍🔬 Is ‘‘chronoworking’’ the future?

Amid the post-pandemic shift towards flexible work patterns, "chronoworking" is gaining popularity.

What on earth is chronoworking?!
First coined by journalist Ellen C. Scott in her newsletter working on purpose, chronoworking is all about syncing your work hours with your personal energy levels rather than sticking to a traditional 9-to-5 schedule. As the BBC explains, chronoworking isn't a new concept, but it has gained increased attention since the pandemic.

Hold up -  what’s a chronotype?
The science journal Nature defines a chronotype as our “physical and behavioural  preference for earlier or later sleep timing”. Put simply, it’s the time of day we naturally want to sleep. We all have a chronotype, and it’s influenced by factors like age and genetics, noted GQ. 

According to clinical psychologist Michael Breus, there are four main chronotypes, each with its own ideal working hours. Breus’ research found that 55% of people work best around midday, 15% prefer early mornings, another 15% excel at night and 10% have varying energy levels each day, explained the BBC. 

But as Forbes noted, the standard 9-to-5 workday remains the norm, meaning that many people end up working when they're not at their most productive. In a recent survey of almost 1,500 workers in the US, 94% said they currently work outside their preferred hours. 

So will we see more chronoworking anytime soon?
That depends. As the BBC pointed out, chronoworking “simply can’t work” in certain scenarios, such as for customer-facing businesses. But some firms “without these constraints” are introducing it, with the CEO of one such company telling the BBC that it “levels the playing field” for parents and others with responsibilities that can make sticking to a 9-5 tricky.

🎤 Raye breaks records: The 26-year-old British singer-songwriter made history by winning six Brit awards in one year, smashing the previous record.

🇨🇭Swiss pension plans: In a referendum on Sunday, Swiss voters opted to “give themselves an extra month’s pension each year” - but said no to raising the retirement age.

🗓️ Endometriosis waiting times: Women in the UK are waiting nearly nine years for an endometriosis diagnosis, a new study has found. Endometriosis UK have this guide on getting a diagnosis.

🏠 Scottish housing: A new scheme has been launched in Scotland to enable the public to “transform neglected property” into “much-needed facilities” for the community.

🏜️ Star dune: Scientists have solved the mystery behind the star dune - one of Earth’s “largest and most complex” types of dune. Dune: Part Two, anyone?

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