Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

The Art of Learning: Book Overview

What is Josh Waitzkin’s book The Art of Learning about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In his book The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin argues that a passionate commitment to learning leads to both competitive success and a fulfilling life. He explains what he learned in becoming the U.S. Junior Chess Champion as well as World Champion in Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands, arguing that excellence comes from unwavering focus, tenacious training, and creative self-actualization. Here is a brief overview of The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin.

Sun Tzu: Enemy Quotes (The Art of War)

What are some of the greatest quotes by Sun Tzu? Are they applicable today, outside the battlefield? According to Sun Tzu, the key to winning the battle is to know your enemy. When you know your enemy, you can anticipate their actions beforehand. You can also determine whether you stand the chance of winning a battle and regroup accordingly. Here are some of Sun Tzu’s enemy quotes with explanations.

The Benefits of Mindful Learning

Do you practice mindfulness? How can mindfulness help you learn faster and more effectively? Mindfulness is central to life and learning. Being mindful as you study or train can supercharge your learning by helping you to comprehend information faster, encode it deeper, and retain it for longer. Here’s how mindful learning can help you master skills.

How to Avoid Exercise Burnout

Do you work out until exhaustion? How do you avoid exercise burnout? According to Joshua Waitzkin, the key to avoiding training burnout is to build a rhythm of exertion and relaxation. Not only does alternating between effort and rest help prevent overexertion and injury, but it also increases performance. Here’s how balancing exertion and rest can help prevent exercise burnout.

Sun Tzu: Winning Without Fighting

Does victory necessarily have to involve fighting? How does one win a war without fighting? Winning without fighting, Sun Tzu argued, is the best outcome of any war. If the surrender comes before a battle is fought, all the better. Here’s why fighting should be your last resort, according to Sun Tzu.

What Is the Athlete Mindset? Tai Chi Champion Explains

What makes a “next-level” athlete? How does mindset affect athletic performance? Elite athletes didn’t become successful thanks to their physical prowess alone. The greatest Olympic athletes also put work into honing their mindset. According to tai chi champion Josh Waitzkin, one of the keys to developing the athlete mindset is to learn how to handle mistakes while winning. If you dwell on the mistake, you’ll lose your cool and your subsequent performance will suffer. Here’s how to develop an athlete mindset, according to Waitzkin.

How to Develop a Skill: The Science of Skill Mastery

How do you develop a skill in the most effective and efficient way possible? Is there a method to make mastering skills easier? According to Josh Waitzkin, the author of The Art of Learning, the fastest and most effective way to master a skill is to build individual elements of the skill into memory “chunks.” Memory chunks are combinations of multiple elements, like how to shuffle, deal, and count cards—and networks of chunks. Here’s how to develop a skill and make it stick, according to Waitzkin.

Sun Tzu: Tactics to Gain Military Advantage

What is Sun Tzu’s theory of war? Under what circumstances should you advance and retreat? According to Sun Tzu, if victory is not certain, you should not engage in conflict. Before you advance, you must attain an advantage over your opponent. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu describes several tactics for securing an advantage. Here are Sun Tzu’s tactics to gain an advantage in a battle.

How to Inspire Creativity on Demand

Can you inspire creativity on demand? Or does creativity only come in fits of spontaneity? Your creative muse can come and go of its own volition. But you can also conjure creative inspiration on demand. To this end, create triggers for creative states. Here’s how to inspire creative states whenever you want.

Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning

What is Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning about? What is the essence of effective learning? In his book The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin argues that effective learning comes from a resilient commitment to your growth process. His learning philosophy can be boiled down to three themes: 1) to always strive for “presence,” 2) to learn through trial and error, and 3) to balance tensions as you grow. Let’s explore each theme in detail below.