The World's Best Book Summaries
Curious about how Uber and Airbnb grew from seedlings to internet juggernauts? What was the common denominator of their success? Uber and Airbnb completely revolutionized the traditional ride-hailing and lodging markets respectively. Yet, neither of the companies was the first to come up with the concept. Keep reading to learn the commonalities between Uber and Airbnb and how they rose to their success.
What is the Team of Teams book about? What was the role of General Stanley McChrystal in helping the U.S. task force counteract Al Qaeda and capture Zarqawi? Team of Teams is a book that tells the true story of how General Stanley McChrystal transformed the U.S. task force in the middle of the war with Al Qaeda. He did this by cutting down the length of its chain of command to speed up decision-making and increase team agility. Keep reading for more about Team of Teams book by General Stanley McChrystal.
What is the future of terrorism? Will there be more or fewer terrorist attacks going forward? According to Yuval Noah Harari, the author of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, we shouldn’t worry too much about the future of terrorism because the threat is currently minor. However, if terrorists obtain nuclear weapons or launch cyber- or bioterrorism attacks, the threat can grow exponentially. Keep reading for more about the future of terrorism.
What is the central premise of Essentialism by Greg McKeown? What does he mean by “the disciplined pursuit of less?” In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown makes a compelling case for the disciplined pursuit of less (but better). It is a lifestyle philosophy that is premised on pursuing only things that are at the core of your identity (the essentials) and disregarding the rest (the nonessentials). Keep reading for more about Greg McKeown’s lifestyle philosophy of essentialism.
Do you often feel like there isn’t enough time in a day to accomplish everything you’ve planned to do? Have you tried the time blocking method? The time blocking method is a time management technique that integrates the functionality of a calendar with a to-do list. It involves chunking a period of time—typically a day or week—into smaller segments that are scheduled for specific tasks. Keep reading to learn about the time blocking method.
What is The Upstarts book about? How did Uber and Airbnb grow from seedlings to internet juggernauts? The Upstarts is a 2017 book by Brad Stone, a New York Times best-selling author and a senior executive editor for global technology at Bloomberg News. It chronicles the history of Uber and Airbnb, from their founding in 2008 to present day 2016. Keep reading for more about The Upstarts book by Brad Stone.
Is global justice a feasible political goal? How can justice be realized on a global scale in such a complex and intricately connected world? Most of the injustices in the world are embedded in systems and structures which makes it almost impossible to know all of the effects of individuals’ actions. Further, humans’ brains haven’t evolved to grasp justice on a global scale because our sense of justice developed during the times of ancient hunter-gatherer societies who lived in small communities. Keep reading to learn about the dilemma of global justice.
Can it be argued that we are all part of one global civilization? What are the common themes that are shared by all nations of the world? As globalization has connected the world economically, socially, and technologically, all of humankind has merged into one global civilization. And although nations differ in terms of cultures and religions, they all follow virtually the same economic, medical, and scientific paradigms. Read about the rise of global civilization.
What is the sunk cost effect? Why do we keep following through on projects that stop paying off? The sunk cost effect is a general tendency to continue on an endeavor once considerable resources have been invested into it—even when the costs start to outweigh the benefits. It’s human nature to respond this way—the more you invest, the harder it is to pull the plug on a commitment. Keep reading to learn about the sunk cost effect.
Do you often find yourself spending time on unproductive activities that add neither value nor enjoyment? How do you stop wasting time and start getting things done? Studies show that most people waste more valuable work time in a day than they realize. This time is wasted dealing with the various distractions thrown their way while they’re trying to work. To stop wasting time, you must learn to say “no” to distractions and “yes” to active focus. Keep reading for tips on how to stop wasting time and start getting things done.