Shortform Books

How to Improve Self-Awareness: Try Bullet Journaling

Why is it important to grow self-awareness? How can you use your Bullet Journal to improve your self-awareness? In his book The Bullet Journal Method, Ryder Carroll discusses how Bullet Journaling can do more for you than just keeping track of your schedule and tasks. Carroll says that Bullet Journaling can also help you improve your self-awareness through reflection and taking notes. Here’s how to improve self-awareness, according to Ryder Carroll.

Dealing With Distractions: Tips and Strategies

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.

Can Your Thoughts Create Reality? Chopra Explains

How powerful are your thoughts? Can they actually affect your experiences? According to Deepak Chopra, your thoughts and feelings are always contributing to the mix of thought-energy that makes up your reality—even when you’re not aware of it. Chopra argues that, since everything you have and experience is just a reflection of your thought-energy, you can transform your experiences by paying attention to what you think and why you think about it. Let’s explore how your thoughts create reality by impacting your thought-energy and experiences.

How to Get in the Zone of High Performance

Have you ever been “in the zone”? Is there a way to enter the performance state on demand? In his book, The Art of Learning, American chess player and tai chi champion Joshua Waitzkin explains how to get in the zone and activate peak performance states. The key, he says, is to use “triggers.” Think of this trigger as an on/off switch that instantly activates your competitive spirit. Here’s how to use triggers to enter the zone of high performance.

Bullet Journal Collection Ideas and Examples

What is a bullet journal collection? What collections does Ryder Carroll suggest in his book The Bullet Journal Method? A bullet journal collection can be thought of as a customized section of the journal that’s used to focus on specific topics. Some bullet journal collection ideas would be brainstorming areas, lists, tracking progress, and more. Here are Ryder Carroll’s collection suggestions.

The 3 Pillars of Samurai Sword Fighting

What are the top three rules for samurai sword fighting? How can these lessons be applied in a modern context? In the historical work The Book of Five Rings, legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi shares his top three rules for Japanese sword fighting: 1) know your environment, 2) think like your competitor, and 3) adapt your strategy to the circumstances. While these rules seem very specific to combat, they can be adapted and applied to modern life. Keep reading for Musashi’s rules of Japanese sword fighting and how they are relevant today.

Let Go of What You Can’t Control With BuJo

Do you have trouble letting go? How can Bullet Journaling (aka BuJo) help you let go of what you can’t control? Instead of immediately reacting to a situation, taking the time to step back and record your feelings in your Bullet Journal daily log can help you reflect. Then, if a situation needs to be acted upon, it can help you map out the next steps. If not, Bullet Journaling can help you let go of what you can’t control. Here’s how to use a Bullet Journal to come to terms with situations.

How Thought-Energy Connects Us All

What is thought-energy? How might it help you feel connected and experience joy? According to Deepak Chopra, the thought-energy that lives within the spiritual realm gives birth to and lives within all matter in the universe: In other words, everything you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch is simply a reflection of all of the thoughts that live in this spiritual realm. This thought-energy connects everything, and this connection can help you live more joyfully. Read more to learn about Chopra’s idea.

Jeannette Walls’s Parents: Rex and Rose Mary’s Drama

What were Jeannette Walls’s parents like in The Glass Castle? What kind of relationship did Rex and Rose Mary have? In the memoir The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls’s parents were violent and neglectful. Rex was an alcoholic who was constantly running away from debt collectors, and Rose Mary was a starving artist who literally left her children to starve. Learn more about Jeannette Walls’s parents below.

The Book of the Void: The True Way of the Warrior

What does Miyamoto Musashi mean by the “Void”? How can a samurai warrior discover the Void? The Book of Five Rings, written by legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi, is split into five different chapters. The final chapter is called The Book of the Void where Musashi teaches how to reach the “Void”—a state of spiritual enlightenment. Here’s how to access the Void, according to Musashi.