Self-Improvement Archives

How to Improve Your Reading Speed: 5 Strategies for Efficiency

What if you could read faster and increase your comprehension at the same time? How would that propel your learning and productivity? In 10 Days to Faster Reading, Abby Marks Beale and the Princeton Language Institute say that speed-reading isn’t just a nifty ability. They argue that the skills entailed in speed-reading are important for focus, comprehension, productivity, expertise, and even reading enjoyment. Let’s take a look at how to improve your reading speed with their strategies.

How to Redefine Success in Later Life: 3 Strategies for Fulfillment

Are you in (or approaching) the second half of your life? What deliberate mindset change should you make in order to continue thriving? In From Strength to Strength, Arthur Brooks says that, as you get older, your professional skills could start to decline and you might no longer be able to succeed in your current job. Despite this, with the right mindset, the second half of your life can be even happier and more meaningful than the first. Keep reading to learn how to redefine success in later life and find fulfillment in new ways.

How to Develop Willpower: Daily & Long-Term Exercises

Are you pulled away by distractions? How does willpower redirect your focus? To deal with distractions, you need the complementary tool of willpower: a source of mental strength you can call on when a task requires more effort. Much like focus, willpower is an ability that you can develop through practice. Continue reading to learn how to develop willpower with Dandapani’s advice from The Power of Unwavering Focus.

The Second Half of Life: 2 Ways to Keep Thriving as You Age

Are you over 35? Have you successfully transitioned into the last half of your life, or are you prepared to do so? In From Strength to Strength, management expert Arthur Brooks explains how and why you lose your job skills as you get older. Then, he provides solutions. He shows how you can find a job that suits your changing brain and achieve a meaningful life instead of fruitlessly chasing success in your former field. Keep reading for Brooks’s strategies as well as an exercise that will help you prepare now for the transition to the second half of life.

The 6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Care What Others Think

Think and Grow Rich: Autosuggestion and Faith

Do you worry about your position in society? Why shouldn’t you care about what others think of you? In The Status Game, Will Storr writes that a status game is successful when it generates status for its members and for the group as a whole. Though there are plenty of reasons to play status games, they have a dark side. Find out why you shouldn’t care what others think of your status in society.

How to Improve Self-Awareness and Master Focus

Do you lack control of your life? How can you improve self-awareness? Focus consists of intentionally directing your orb of awareness to specific regions of your mind, without letting anything else direct your orb of awareness for you. In The Power of Unwavering Focus, Dandapani explores how to improve your self-awareness and stay in control. Below we’ve organized Dandapani’s techniques for improving self-awareness into three steps, with additional advice on developing focus over time.

Embrace the Absurd: Albert Camus’s Advice for a Fulfilled Life

Don't Wait to be Happy — Use Love to Get Happiness

What’s the meaning of life? Why does Albert Camus think that’s a ridiculous question to ask? The existentialist philosopher Albert Camus believes that, ultimately, life is absurd. We search in vain for meaning and purpose because it’s impossible to find them. He says we can choose to live in denial of this reality, end our own lives, or accept the absurd reality we inhabit. Keep reading to learn why Camus believes we should embrace the absurd.

Martin E. P. Seligman’s Flourish: Book Overview

What is Flourish by Martin E. P. Seligman about? What’s the key to living well and enjoying life to the fullest? Many of us think happiness is the answer to a good life. In his book Flourish, Martin E. P. Seligman challenges this idea and argues that there’s more to life than happiness. Read below for a brief Flourish book overview.

What Does It Mean to Have Presence? Definition & Example

Do you ever feel nervous in large crowds or on stage? What does it mean to have presence? Amy Cuddy defines presence as a self-assured confidence that’s not arrogant but allows you to express your true self. Her book Presence says you can achieve presence by leveraging the body-mind connection to change the way you feel about yourself rather than worrying about how others perceive you. Keep reading to learn what it means to embody presence.

Steven Pinker’s Rationality: Book Overview & Takeaways

What does it mean to be rational? Why is being rational important? How can you be a more rational person? According to Steven Pinker, rationality and reason are essential for improving our world and society. But, people often misunderstand them, acting irrationally even when they think they’re not. In his book Rationality, he unpacks this mystery and seeks to help people think and behave more rationally. Continue reading for an overview of this bestselling book.