The World's Best Book Summaries
How intense is Zone 2 exercise? What are its benefits? How much of it should you do every week? According to physician Peter Attia, Zone 2 exercise is part and parcel of a long and healthy life. He contends that the earlier you start building a healthful exercise habit, the better chance you have of circumventing mental and physical decline. Continue reading to learn about Attia’s Zone 2 exercise recommendations.
What’s Elon Musk’s psychological makeup? What clues do we have from his childhood that might explain his mental and emotional wiring? Elon Musk’s intense drive and sweeping accomplishments come at a personal cost, a fact that he freely owns up to. The psychological challenges that Musk struggles with don’t determine every aspect of his personality, but they strongly color how other people view him. Read more to understand Elon Musk’s psychology, according to biographer Walter Isaacson.
Are you always that one person in the room who’s asking all the questions? Should you be? In A More Beautiful Question, author and journalist Warren Berger highlights four fundamental questions: Why, Why not, What if, and How. He calls them “beautiful questions” and contends that they form the basis of larger questions that can help you succeed in life both professionally and personally. Read more to relearn how to raise the questions you almost certainly asked all the time as a child.
When you exercise, do you push your limits? What’s the best way to raise your VO2 max? According to Peter Attia, VO2 max exercise ultimately enables you to do more challenging physical activities. It also helps you extend your life and its quality. That’s why he recommends it as part of a longevity-focused exercise program. Read more to learn about the benefits of a high VO2 max and how to achieve it.
Are your values based on the truth? Are they truly your own, or have they been imposed on you? Susan David advocates cultivating the skill of emotional agility, and she outlines four steps you can take to get there. The last step is to choose your values. It starts with figuring out whether your current values are based on reality and whether they’re truly your own, and it culminates in envisioning your future. Read more to discover how to determine your values with David’s process.
Are you a master of anything? Are there any shortcuts to a life of fulfillment? George Leonard’s Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment is about the life lived in disciplined dedication to one’s skill, craft, or art. In Leonard’s view, mastery isn’t an end goal. Instead, it’s a path. Continue reading for an overview of a book that could put your life on a new and exciting course.
How does question-storming work? Is it a superior alternative to brainstorming? Warren Berger says that many organizations value knowledge and obedience over curiosity and creativity. But, the most successful companies are those that encourage employees to ask questions and search for innovative answers. He recommends that organizations hold question-storming sessions. Keep reading to learn about this intriguing alternative to brainstorming.
How much muscle mass do you have? How’s your muscle mass connected to your overall health? According to Peter Attia, strength training is a key to longevity. If you want to live a long and healthy life, you need to prevent chronic disease. Metabolic health is a major aspect of this prevention, and it’s easier to achieve metabolic health when you have high muscle mass. Keep reading to learn about strength training for health over the long term.
What kind of abuse did Elon Musk experience in his childhood? How did he first make money? Why did he move to North America? The insightful yet combative nature that would come to define Elon Musk later in life had its roots in his upbringing. His childhood was shaped by early trauma, compounded by the difficulties caused by his neurodivergence. Read more to learn about Elon Musk’s early life, from South Africa to North America.
What does the path to mastery look like? Should you expect a steady upward progression? The truth is, says George Leonard, most of the mastery journey does not feel like success. The majority of the path consists of plateaus, and it’s only now and then that you experience a leap forward. He urges you not to get discouraged and to embrace the flat zones as an important part of the process. Read on to learn more about mastery plateaus and how to embrace these stages.