The World's Best Book Summaries
How should you plan your day as a college student? Should studying be the center of your attention? How to Become a Straight A-Student by Cal Newport advises that college students should create their own schedule for studying and free time. By having a consistent schedule, you won’t feel overwhelmed or tempted to procrastinate. Learn how to plan your day for students below.
Want to know how to stop being pessimistic? How do pessimists and optimists think differently? How can you change your thought patterns? To learn how to stop being pessimistic, Martin Seligman suggests embracing flexible optimism. Becoming a flexible optimist means you can learn to be an optimist while balancing it with your natural pessimism, according to Seligman. Read on to learn Seligman’s practical advice for how to stop being pessimistic.
Why are people inclined to make decisions that perpetuate their status quo? What are some ways to mitigate the status quo bias in decision-making? When it’s time to finally make a choice, our bias toward the status quo kicks in and weakens our judgment. According to Chip and Dan Heath, tough decisions elicit intense emotions. These emotions cause us to seek relief in what’s familiar. Thus, we make decisions that resist change, even if change is what we need. Here’s how to push against the status quo bias in decision-making.
Is procrastination the result of laziness or anxiety? How does anxiety drive procrastination? Procrastination isn’t caused by laziness and can’t be fixed by trying harder. Instead, procrastination is a symptom of the fear and anxiety we sometimes feel about our work—and to solve it, you have to address those underlying emotional struggles. Here are some tips on how to deal with procrastination and anxiety.
What are thought experiments? How can you use them to make better decisions? It can be fun to imagine what’s possible. You can actually harness this imagining to assist in decision-making and problem-solving. In The Great Mental Models Volume 1, Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien discuss the mental model of possibility thinking. Continue reading to learn how to turn your imagination into productive thought experiments.
Do you procrastinate while studying? What is the key to learning how to study consistently? In How to Become a Straight-A Student, Cal Newport says that studying every day when you have a big test coming up will help you get a good grade. But you should also take days off to reduce stress. Check out below how easy it is to study consistently.
What is Neil Fiore’s The Now Habit about? What is the key message to take away from the book? According to psychologist and productivity coach Neil Fiore, the problem isn’t that we’re lazy—it’s that procrastination is a symptom of the fear and anxiety we sometimes feel about our work. In his 1988 book The Now Habit, Fiore explains what procrastination is, why we do it, and most importantly, how to avoid it. Below is a brief overview of The Now Habit by Neil Fiore.
What is learned helplessness? How does negative self-talk fuel the problem? How can you overcome learned helplessness? Psychologist Martin Seligman says you can unlearn helplessness and train your mind to be more naturally optimistic. In his book, Learned Optimism, Seligman explains two techniques for battling harmful self-talk to create a healthy mindset. Read on to learn Seligman’s two techniques for overcoming learned helplessness.
What is Lisa Feldman Barrett’s body budget? How do you know if your body budget is imbalanced? In her book, How Emotions Are Made, author Lisa Feldman Barrett introduces the body budgeting concept as the way you regulate energy and emotions. According to Barrett, maintaining a balanced body budget is important for your overall sense of wellbeing. Keep reading to learn more about your body budget, according to Lisa Feldman Barrett.
How does confirmation bias skew your judgment? Why is it important to seek the opposing viewpoint when making important decisions? In decision-making, confirmation bias leads us to overlook crucial information about our options. One way to resist your confirmation bias is to hunt for information that contradicts your existing beliefs. Here’s how seeking out opposing views can help you override confirmation bias and make better decisions.