The World's Best Book Summaries
Are you a sportswriter or want to be one? Are you looking for sports writing tips? Sports writing is a form of nonfiction that reports on topics involving sports, such as athletes, games, and competitions. Zinsser notes two problems sportswriters face: making the story about them and flaunting their knowledge. Here’s why you should avoid both.
What is Zappos’s company culture? How is it effective in creating a friendly environment for Zappos’s employees? According to Tony Hsieh, the founder and former CEO of the online retail store Zappos, a strong and healthy culture is what makes a company successful. In Delivering Happiness, Zappos’s culture can be defined in three major categories: friendship, support, and innovation. Read on to learn more about Zappos’s culture and its principles.
Are you stressed out? What are the major signs of stress at work and home that you should look out for? In his book, Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina describes work and home as the two environments people are most likely to experience signs of stress. At work and home, stress can make you lose sleep and cause damage to your relationships. Luckily, there are ways to reduce this stress. Here are the indications of stress at work or home and how to avoid them, according to Medina.
Do you struggle to keep distractions at bay? What can you do to limit distractions so you can focus for longer? It’s hard to resist distractions, but they take away from productivity. So, limiting distractions is essential for prolonged focus on a single task. Productivity expert Chris Bailey offers insights on where to start: identify what distractions you can and can’t control. Here are the details on the first step you should take when dealing with distractions.
How does technology hinder, rather than help, productivity? What other negative effects does technology have on people’s lives? Most people think that technology and productivity go hand in hand. This is most likely because there are numerous apps and programs out there designed to help you be more productive, fight procrastination, stay on schedule, etc. However, Ryder Carroll, the author of The Bullet Journal Method, says that technology is actually doing the opposite. Here’s how technology is holding us back.
When should you set aside time to focus? How long should your focus sessions last? Hyperfocus requires planning, according to productivity expert Chris Bailey. In his book Hyperfocus, he discusses scheduling focus sessions, using timers, setting deadlines, and spacing out tasks. He also writes about scheduling focus time within the context of biological and external realities. Read more to learn when and how to schedule a time to focus.
What is a bullet journal daily log? How do you set up and use a daily log? A daily log is for capturing any information, thoughts, or ideas that come up throughout the day in the form of tasks, events, and notes. In his book The Bullet Journal Method, Ryder Carroll outlines how to make a daily log. Here are the steps to follow if you want to make a daily log in your bullet journal.
Does your mind often get off track when you’re trying to focus? What are some strategies to help you keep your mind from wandering and get it to stay on task? If your mind wanders when you work, you might be bored or anxious. If you’re hyperfocusing, your mind might wander during the extra time that has been freed up by your productivity. Productivity expert Chris Bailey offers two strategies for keeping your mind from wandering: 1) matching your tasks to your skill level and 2) increasing the number of high-impact tasks you do. Read more to learn how to
Do you struggle to focus on the right things? How can you make sure you’re channeling your attention in the most effective way possible? According to Chris Bailey, the author of Hyperfocus, the quality of the tasks we pay attention to determines the quality of our lives. When we focus on high-quality tasks, we perform high-quality work and have a high-quality impact. When we focus on low-quality tasks, even if we perform high-quality work, we will have a low-quality impact. Here are two helpful attention management strategies to help you decide what truly deserves your attention.
What is task-shifting? How is it different from multi-tasking? We often talk about multitasking—doing more than one task at a time. While we certainly do this, we probably are engaged far more often in task-shifting—rapidly switching our focus from one task to another. Productivity expert Chris Bailey explains task-shifting and provides two reasons why it lowers productivity. Read on to learn about task-shifting and its impact on success.