The next person who uses the word “unprecedented” and says something like, “Man, 2020 was such a crazy year,” ought to be hit in the head with a frying pan.
But man, it was a crazy a year, wasn’t it?
Despite all the goings-on of 2020, here at AoM we kept doing exactly what we’ve been doing since 2008, which is creating totally free, high-quality, evergreen content that aims to inform, entertain, and inspire. We published hundreds of new articles and podcast episodes this year, and below we highlight that which proved most popular with the masses, as well as the content that was nearest and dearest to our own hearts. Plus, we offer an update on the action-arm of AoM: The Strenuous Life.
Articles
Most Popular Articles of the Year Based on Traffic
- 16 Ways to Be a Better Man in the New Year
- 3 Simple Steps to Stopping Negative Self-Talk
- The AoM Guide to Staying at Home (Without Being Bored Out of Your Mind)
- How to Make Cheesy Bacon Rolls
- 20 Not (That) Lame Knock-Knock Jokes
- Why I Stopped Journaling
- 9 Civil War Battles Every Man Should Know
- Car Camping Is the Worst
- 9 Lifesaving Mnemonics Every Man Should Know
- Bro Basics: How to Do a Bicep Curl
- The 3 Reasons Friendships End
- General Eisenhower’s 5-Star Holiday Eggnog
Our Personal Picks
(Some of the most popular above would be included in this list as well):
- Why Men Love the Story of the Great Escape
- Stop Procrastinating Today With Behavioral Science
- 30+ Tricks, Games, and Stunts to Entertain Your Kids on Long, Dark Winter Nights
- The Self-Care Routines of 5 American Presidents
- 10 (Non-Religious) Books to Get Into the Devotional Reading Habit
- James Bond Stoicism
- A Lesson From TR & Taft on Pursuing a Life You Like
- Why You Should Become a Sun Worshipper
- Finding an Existential Second Wind
- 3 Lessons From Homer’s Odyssey
Sunday Firesides Favorites
- Not Everything Is Political
- Blessed Are the Restless
- Practice Patience With Inarticulate Utterances
- The Weight of Worthy Work
- Exercise, Man’s Most Faithful Companion
- Plausibility is Pegged to a Person
- Embracing the Coin of Character
- Gnaw Your Bone
- Your Routine Needs Rites of Passage
- The Surprising Thinness of the Competitive Crowd
- Yours Sincerely
Podcast
Most Popular Podcasts of the Year Based on Listens
- Why People Do (or Don’t) Listen to You
- The Tiny Habits That Change Everything
- Being a Man in the Lousy Modern World
- How to Activate Your Brain’s Happy Chemicals
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling
- The Code of the Warrior
- Why You Should Learn the Lost Art of Rhetoric
- How to Develop Greater Self-Awareness
- Simple, Excuse-Busting Advice for Getting in Shape
- Why You Don’t Change (But How You Still Can)
- How Childhood Shapes Adulthood
Our Personal Picks
- What Happened When Two Friends Left Their Jobs to Build a Cabin Together
- The Causes and Cures of Childhood Anxiety
- How Eisenhower Led — A Conversation with Ike’s Granddaughter
- What Driving Tells Us About Agency, Skill, and Freedom
- Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life
- How to Avoid Falling in Love With the Wrong Person
- How to Get Jailhouse Strong
- Inflammation, Saunas, and the New Science of Depression
- Jack London’s Literary Code
- How to Simplify Your Life and Get Off the Grid
- Begin the New Year By Reflecting on These 3 Life-Changing Questions
If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to the Art of Manliness podcast. It’s a great way to get your AoM fix while commuting or working out:
Also, we’d really appreciate if you’d give the podcast a review in iTunes or Stitcher. It’s a big help in getting more people to discover the show!
The Strenuous Life
The Strenuous Life is our online/offline program designed to help men take what they read and listen to on the Art of Manliness and put it into real, concrete action. TSL is now almost 8,000 members strong, and while this unprecedented (thunk!) year added extra strenuosity to the task of living strenuously, members admirably adapted and overcame, finding ways to continue to build their skills, strength, and friendships with each other.
The next enrollment for The Strenuous Life will begin next week. Enrollments fill fast, so be sure to sign up to be the first to know when it opens.
Submitted by: Greyson Gilbert in San Antonio, Texas, US
