Emily Kitazawa, Author at Shortform Books

How Rewriting Your Story Can Make You Happier

How can rewriting your story benefit you? What is deep self-examination? How can you begin? Older eras have sought happiness through lives of virtue and intellectual pursuits, while the modern age places value on achievement, fame, and fortune. In Happy, Derren Brown suggests that by rewriting your story based on a philosophy of your own, you can lead a more thoughtful and generally happier life. Read on to learn Brown’s advice for rewriting your story through philosophical, deep self-examination.

Why Do Projects Fail? Examples & How to Avoid Failure

Why do projects fail in business management? What is the most common reason? How can you avoid failure? In The Mythical Man-Month, Frederick P. Brooks offers a guide to completing complicated projects on schedule. The book covers strategies for streamlining your process so that you can keep your staff working together smoothly and finish your most daunting projects on time. Read on for some of Brooks’s examples of why projects fail and his solutions for avoiding failure.

How Stoicism and Happiness Work Hand in Hand

How are Stoicism and happiness connected? What do the Stoics say about obtaining happiness? We all want to be happy, but how to achieve happiness, or even how to define it, has been a problem that philosophers, theologians, and psychologists have long tried to solve. Author Derren Brown studied the Epicureans as well as Stoicism and happiness to draw conclusions about living a truly happy life. Read on to learn why Brown says understanding Stoicism is one of the cornerstones of happiness.

Managing Complexity: Fred Brooks’s Experiential Advice

Looking for practical advice for managing complexity? How can you improve performance for large teams and complex projects? The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks offers guidance to managers leading large teams, especially teams coordinating detail-oriented projects with lots of moving parts. Its advice centers on managing and reducing complexity. Read on to learn Brooks’s groundbreaking strategies for managing complexity at IBM in the 1960s.

How the Luddite Movement Lives on With Neo-Luddites

What was the “Luddite” movement? What is a “neo-Luddite”? Why are some people turning against technology? As technology advances at an unprecedented speed, a growing number of neo-Luddites are urging caution about what we use and how we use it. According to them, we need to stop adopting new technologies mindlessly and start questioning their potential consequences. Read on for an overview of the Luddite movement and learn how neo-Luddites are continuing the fight against technology.

Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy

What is the true meaning of happiness? What can we learn from the teachings of ancient philosophy? In his book Happy, Derren Brown seeks to find the definition of a happy life, the philosophical building blocks we can use to achieve it, and the barriers that prevent us from living to our fullest. Brown’s approach is grounded in the philosophy of ancient Greek philosophers. Keep reading to learn about Brown’s quest to solve the true meaning of happiness, based on philosophy.

The Man-Month Myth & How to Manage Large Teams

What is the man-month myth? How can you best manage large, complex teams? Fred Brooks originally wrote The Mythical Man-Month as a management guide for the burgeoning software industry. However, managers from diverse fields began adopting his strategies, turning his work into a business classic. Read on to learn about the man-month myth and how to manage large teams, according to Brooks’s advice.

People Are Rejecting Technology—What Are Their Solutions?

Why are people rejecting technology? What dangers does technology pose? What are the solutions? Neo-Luddites are part of a movement that promotes technological reform and advocates much more careful consideration of the possible consequences of adopting any technology. While they don’t entirely reject technology, they worry about the broad and varied dangers it poses. Read on to learn why rejecting technology, and not embracing every new technology, might be a wise decision.

The 2 New Climate Change Policies That May Protect Millions

Why are climate change policies important? Which recent policies did the U.S. pass? What domestic and global impact will they have? The U.S. Senate has broken through its infamous gridlock to deliver two major pieces of climate change legislation. With the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act and ratifying of the Kigali Amendment, millions of people could now be protected from some of the worst threats of global warming. Read on to learn about these two major climate change policies and their potential impact on the world.

Overview of Derren Brown’s Book Happy

Looking for an overview of Derren Brown’s book Happy? What is the author’s key advice about understanding and obtaining happiness? Derren Brown suggests that the answers to happiness can be found in the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers, like the Stoics and Epicureans. In his book Happy, Derren Brown says that by adopting this kind of philosophy, we can lead thoughtful, balanced, and more well-rounded lives. Read on for an overview of Derren Brown’s book Happy to learn the fundamental ideas of the book.