Shortform Books

How to Find Happiness in Life: 3 Offbeat Approaches to Joy

Is there one blueprint for happiness? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything, only to be stuck in discontentment? Recognizing that life can’t be controlled frees you from the limitations of pursuing constant positivity while enriching your life and revealing joy in unexpected places. That’s the view of Oliver Burkeman, who provides several alternative approaches to well-being and contentment. Read more to learn how to find happiness in life—in ways you might not have explored before.

Britney Spears: Abuse Details From Her Memoir The Woman in Me

Did Britney Spears suffer from abuse? How was Spears made the breadwinner of her family as a child? The first major issue to shape Spears’s life was a toxic family pattern. In recounting her story in The Woman in Me, Spears lays bare many unhealthy traits of broken families, including abuse that persists through generations. Find out how The Woman in Me reveals common traits of abuse in families.

How to Create a Sense of Belonging Using Mementos

Do you have an item that’s sentimental to you? How do emblems and mementos create a sense of belonging? In The Art of Community, Charles Vogl explains that communities can use emblems to foster a sense of belonging. Emblems are metaphoric representations of a community’s moral code, such as the US flag’s symbolism of the country’s history and values. Read more for a better understanding of why emblems are powerful to communities.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work: Book Overview

How can you escape the hustle culture at work? Why shouldn’t you set aggressive goals? How and why should you give your employees private time? In It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson teach you how to build an organization employees would be thrilled to work for. They detail the three qualifications to look for when scouting for any potential hire and why employees need private time to work. Read below for a brief overview of It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work.

The Dotcom Boom and Bust: Feedback Loops and Bubbles

What caused the dotcom boom and bust? How does the theory of speculative bubbles explain what happened? The dotcom boom and bust was caused by feedback loops in which investors responded to increasing prices by pushing prices even higher. To understand how this happened, we need to take a closer look at each factor that influenced how investors speculated. Continue reading to learn what caused the dotcom bubble to form and then burst in the early 2000s.

What Is Aging in Humans? Definitions and Disproved Myths

What is aging in humans? What are common myths about aging? Though we all know on a basic level what “aging” is, scientists often use common terms differently than the general public. In Ageless, Andrew Steele defines aging and explores common myths that prevent laypeople and scientists alike from understanding aging as a process we can modify. Let’s look at the definition of aging, according to Steele and other experts.

The Eisenhower Method: Ditch the To-Do List, & Get More Done

How long is your to-do list? Do time-sensitive tasks get lost in the shuffle? Do urgent items constantly keep important items on the back burner? Grace Beverley says there’s a better way. She recommends the Eisenhower Method as a replacement for a traditional to-do list. She explains how it can help you increase productivity, minimize wasted time, and stay organized. Keep reading to learn how the Eisenhower Method works and consider how it might be a valuable work companion.

The 20-Hour Rule: Josh Kaufman’s 7 Tips for Practicing a Skill

When practicing, which is more important—quality or quantity? When should you sleep in relation to your practice time? How much practice should you fit into one day? In The First 20 Hours, skill acquisition expert Josh Kaufman outlines a step-by-step process for mastering the basics of any new skill with only 20 hours of practice. He provides several tips designed to help you get the most out of those 20 hours. Keep reading to get Kaufman’s advice on leveraging the 20-hour rule of skill acquisition.

How to Be a Good Team Leader by Empowering Employees

When learning how to be a good team leader, what should you focus on? What does it take to draw the best out of your team? To be a good team leader, you should regularly evaluate your team’s performance and encourage team members to become leaders. By learning to empower your employees, you can support them in becoming leaders and encourage them to perform better. Read on to learn how you can become a better leader.

Community Growth: Best Practices for Recruitment & Equality

Does your community feel too small? What are the best practices for community growth? When your community is at a point where it’s been strengthened by lore, emblems, and keepsakes, it’ll be ready to invite new members. Charles Vogl has some tips for incorporating new members and discusses how to use stratification to your community’s advantage. Let’s look at the key ways to grow your community so it can reach new people.