Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

Blue Ocean Strategy: Best Quotes and Passages

Are you looking for Blue Ocean Strategy quotes by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? In Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne suggest that the answer to competitive problems is to create a “blue ocean.” A blue ocean is a brand-new market for an innovative idea, allowing your company to avoid competing with rivals—because it has no direct rivals. Below is a selection of quotes with explanations to help you put them into context.

Algorithms to Live By: Book Overview

What is Brian Christian’s and Tom Griffith’s book Algorithms to Live By about? What is the key message to take away from the book? Algorithms to Live By is an instruction manual for life: a collection of unconventional wisdom drawn from the field of computer science. Computers and humans share many of the same problems, and the same solutions that have allowed us to optimize the field of computing may be the ticket to optimizing our own lives. Below is a brief overview of Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions.

The Virtue of Helping Others in Need

Why is it important to help others in need? How can helping others solve their problems ease your own suffering? According to Ryan Holiday, the author of The Obstacle Is the Way, working to solve the problems of others is one of the most effective ways to solve your own problems. However, many people narrowly focus on themselves and their problems, which clouds their perspective and makes it difficult to see things as they are. Here is what Holiday has to say about the virtue of helping others in need.

How to Clarify Your Values With ACT

You can heal with love. Discover how the love you feel in your heart can improve your physical health and help you overcome illness.

What are values in ACT? How do values differ from goals? In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (aka ACT), values are the principles that govern how you want to act. Unlike goals, values are never accomplished. Rather, values involve continuous behavior—they guide your choices and decisions according to the kind of person you strive to be. Keep reading to learn about the ACT method for clarifying your values.

Blue Ocean Strategy: Review & Critical Reception

What is Blue Ocean Strategy about? What is the key premise of W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne’s blue ocean business model? In Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne argue that the key to building a successful business is to create a blue ocean—a brand-new market for an innovative idea. You can create such a market by focusing on your product’s characteristics that customers really care about while discarding the characteristics they don’t. This creates a new product offering that doesn’t currently exist, in a space without direct competitors. Here is our review of Blue Ocean Strategy.

Algorithms to Live By: Quotes and Passages

Are you looking for Algorithms to Live By quotes by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? In Algorithms to Live By, bestselling author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths team up to create a library of “algorithms to live by”—a set of instructions to help you make smarter decisions, organize your life, and get the most out of your day. Here is a selection of quotes highlighting some of the key themes explored in the book.

Russ Harris: ACT and The Happiness Trap

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)? How can practicing ACT help you avoid falling into the “happiness trap”? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, is a psychological discipline developed by Steven C. Hayes in 1982. Hayes developed ACT in the context of evolutionary psychology, which holds that our early survival instincts influence our modern brains—and that failing to recognize this connection undermines our happiness. Here is how ACT can help you stop struggling and start living, according to Russ Harriss.

Emotional Stoicism: How to Become Unperturbed

What is the Stoic view of emotions? How do Stoics remain unperturbed in the face of difficult emotions? Stoic philosophers emphasize the importance of emotional regulation—intentionally deciding which emotions you allow to influence your behavior. In his book The Obstacle Is the Way, Ryan Holiday argues that emotional stoicism is a practical skill that everyone can (and must) learn. To this end, he offers several strategies for keeping unhelpful emotions at bay. Let’s investigate each of these strategies in turn.

What to Do If Your Blue Ocean Turns Into a Red Ocean

What is the difference between a blue ocean and a red ocean market? How do you prevent a blue ocean product from becoming a red ocean? Kim and Mauborgne caution that when you create a blue ocean market, imitators will inevitably arrive, eventually turning it into a red ocean. There are two ways you can respond: 1) prolong your blue ocean, and 2) find a new blue ocean. Let’s consider each of these approaches in turn.

Random Decision-Making: Appeal to Chance

What do you do when faced with a difficult choice in life? Do you ever just make decisions at random? Sometimes, the best way to make a difficult choice in life is to appeal to chance. By making a few random, intentionally suboptimal decisions, you can discover opportunities you couldn’t see before and get unstuck. Here is why random decision-making is sometimes the best way to go.