Shortform Books

Is Tipflation Here to Stay? A Historical & Current Perspective

Wondering why you’re suddenly tipping more? What’s tipflation? How is the legacy of tipping connected to today’s tipping fatigue? Tipping has a long history in the US, and these days it may feel like every time you turn around you’re being asked to tip—and to tip more than you’d like. This phenomenon is called tipflation and experts say it’s mostly been driven by the pandemic and the use of tablets for payment. Read on to learn about tipflation, based on a historical perspective and current analysis of the issues.

Tony Fadell at General Magic & Philips: A Decade of Failure?

What led Tony Fadell to a job at General Magic? Why did the smartphones from Philips fail to sell well? In his book Build, entrepreneur Tony Fadell outlines his career trajectory. He talks about how he failed to build a smartphone several times before finally hitting it big with the iPhone. He refers to that time in his career as a “decade of failure.” Read more to learn about Tony Fadell at General Magic and Philips.

Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact

How to Find Your Major Definite Purpose in Life

What did you enjoy as a child? What makes you different? What do you care about most? In The Daily Laws, Robert Greene argues that we lead our lives guided by false beliefs. He discusses how you can break free from false notions of success and happiness by identifying your unique life purpose and pursuing mastery in your field. Read more for Greene’s advice on how to discover your purpose and an exercise to help you implement Greene’s ideas.

A Network of Ideas: Harnessing Social & Neural Connections

When you network, do you deliberately share and collect new ideas? Do you seek out opportunities for collaboration? According to Steven Johnson, good ideas don’t just appear from nowhere. Rather, they build on existing knowledge and ideas. New ideas proliferate in networks. The more connected you are, the more you’ll find and develop good ideas. Read more to learn how you can plug into and benefit from a network of ideas around you.

How to Stop Overanalyzing & Start Getting Things Done

Are you a perfectionist? Do you analyze every last detail only to miss the big picture? In Someday Is Today, Matthew Dicks shares tips for accomplishing extraordinary things. He discusses ways to maximize your time, efficiency, and productivity so you can become as successful as possible, as soon as possible. One solution is to stop being a perfectionist and a micro-analyzer and just get on with the task at hand. Continue reading to learn how to stop overanalyzing and start getting things done.

Tony Fadell, Nest, & the Beginning of the Smart Home Revolution

How did world travel inspire the concept of a smart home? Why did Tony Fadell end his relationship with Nest? In Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, entrepreneur Tony Fadell tells the story of his career. He talks about starting Nest—a smart home device company—and later selling it to Google for billions of dollars. Keep reading to learn about Tony Fadell, Nest, and the start of the smart home revolution.

Big-Picture Thinking: The Top 3 Methods (+ Examples)

Do you consider yourself a big-picture thinker? Do you try to understand every problem or situation holistically? When we’re faced with a problem or a difficult decision, we tend to resort to our usual cause-and-effect, detail-oriented type of thinking. While this type of thinking is useful in some situations, it can obscure the bigger picture. As a result, the optimal solution may evade us because it lies outside the range of ideas where we are looking for it. With this in mind, here are three ways you can apply big-picture thinking to solve problems and make decisions.

The Difference Between Mental Health and Mental Illness

What’s the difference between mental health and mental illness? Why do so many people confuse the two? Sometimes, people interchangeably use mental health and mental illness, as if they mean the same thing. While they’re closely related, there’s actually a meaningful difference between the two psychological terms. Here’s how A First-Rate Madness defines mental health and mental illness so you won’t get confused anymore.

Climate Change & Energy Consumption: What’s the Solution?

How can we move toward fuel sources with higher energy density and power density? What difference does that make for the environment, the economy, and society as a whole? The primary driver of climate change, and the most important issue to tackle, is society’s ever-growing energy consumption. In Apocalypse Never, Michael Shellenberger explains the problem and explores our options as we move into the future. Continue reading to learn about climate change and energy consumption.

How to Maintain Mental Health: 3 Tips From Michelle Obama

Why is it important to take care of your mental health? What are some things you can do to maintain a healthy state of mind? If your mental health is not in order, you’ll struggle to make meaningful progress toward your goals. As a result, you’ll feel like a failure, initiating a vicious cycle. To achieve success in any endeavor, you must take care of your mental health by minimizing stress and doing activities that make you feel fulfilled. Here are some of Michelle Obama’s tips on how to maintain mental health.