Shortform Books

The 3 Best Mental Models for Decision-Making

When you have more than one option, how do you know which one to choose? Can you actually train yourself to make better decisions? Let’s say that you’ve received a job offer at a great company. You’re pretty happy where you are now, but the new opportunity might be the right move to make. If you carefully consider the consequences (second-order thinking), the chances (probabilistic thinking), and the possibilities (possibility thinking), you’ll likely make the right decision. Read more to learn how to use these three mental models for decision-making.

Why Read Rupi Kaur’s Book The Sun and Her Flowers?

Should you read Rupi Kaur’s book, The Sun and Her Flowers? What can you gain from reading her poems? What makes The Sun and Her Flowers so popular? In Rupi Kaur’s book, The Sun and Her Flowers, her poems shed light on troubling issues both in society and Kaur’s own life. Readers can gain an intimate perspective on the struggles faced by women of color and immigrants. Read on to learn why it’s worth reading Rupi Kaur’s book, The Sun and Her Flowers.

How to Plan Your Day—For Students in College

The Secrets to Effective Time Management in Sales

How should you plan your day as a college student? Should studying be the center of your attention? How to Become a Straight A-Student by Cal Newport advises that college students should create their own schedule for studying and free time. By having a consistent schedule, you won’t feel overwhelmed or tempted to procrastinate. Learn how to plan your day for students below.

How to Stop Being Pessimistic: Try Flexible Optimism

Want to know how to stop being pessimistic? How do pessimists and optimists think differently? How can you change your thought patterns? To learn how to stop being pessimistic, Martin Seligman suggests embracing flexible optimism. Becoming a flexible optimist means you can learn to be an optimist while balancing it with your natural pessimism, according to Seligman. Read on to learn Seligman’s practical advice for how to stop being pessimistic.

What Is Market Design? The Art of Creating Markets

What is market design? Why would you want to create a new market? If you want to stand out from other companies, you should consider market design. The marketing book Play Bigger describes it as the act of creating an entirely new market for your product. Find out more about the concept of market design below.

How to Overcome the Status Quo Bias in Decision-Making

Why are people inclined to make decisions that perpetuate their status quo? What are some ways to mitigate the status quo bias in decision-making? When it’s time to finally make a choice, our bias toward the status quo kicks in and weakens our judgment. According to Chip and Dan Heath, tough decisions elicit intense emotions. These emotions cause us to seek relief in what’s familiar. Thus, we make decisions that resist change, even if change is what we need. Here’s how to push against the status quo bias in decision-making.

The 4 Challenges to Implementing an AR-15 Ban

Should AR-15s be banned in the United States? Why is an AR-15 ban more complicated than it sounds? Is it even possible to ban them? Banning AR-15s and similar firearms in the U.S. is often advocated as a solution to preventing mass shootings by keeping prospective shooters from getting these weapons. However, the question isn’t whether the U.S. should ban AR-15s, rather it’s whether it can. Here are the four main challenges that come with implementing and enforcing an AR-15 ban.

Steve Jobs’s Pancreatic Cancer: How He Died

How did Steve Jobs die? How did Jobs try to treat his cancer? In 2003, Jobs’s doctor found a tumor on his pancreas. He battled cancer until he died in 2011, but some of his treatments were unconventional. Here’s how Jobs coped with his pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Procrastination and Anxiety: What’s the Link?

Is procrastination the result of laziness or anxiety? How does anxiety drive procrastination? Procrastination isn’t caused by laziness and can’t be fixed by trying harder. Instead, procrastination is a symptom of the fear and anxiety we sometimes feel about our work—and to solve it, you have to address those underlying emotional struggles. Here are some tips on how to deal with procrastination and anxiety.

Atul Gawande: How to Help the Dying in Their Final Days

What’s most important to people who are close to death? How can we infuse the final days of the dying with meaning and dignity? According to Atul Gawande, the author of Being Mortal, we can improve our care for the dying by giving them autonomy, or the ability to direct their lives as they wish. This freedom is crucial for those facing death, as it allows them to live according to their values and retain meaning in spite of limitations. Here’s how to help the dying retain their autonomy so they can die with peace and dignity.