Shortform Books

Location & Timing in Business: Your Advantage?

How important are location and timing in business? Are they a built-in advantage for you? If you’re in the right place at the right time, you have a leg up over the competition. Location and timing are unfair advantages identified in the book The Unfair Advantage by entrepreneurs Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba. The authors discuss potential drawbacks of good location and timing, how to know if location and timing are your unfair advantage in particular, and how to improve and make the most of your location and timing. Let’s take a closer look at this unfair advantage.

Aristotle’s Definition of Happiness: Reason+Virtue+Activity

What’s happiness? What does reason have to do with it? How is virtue a factor? Aristotle concedes that many people agree with him that happiness is the goal of human life. The real challenge is defining happiness. He defines it as rational activity aligned with virtue. Keep reading to understand Aristotle’s definition of happiness.

The Diffusion of Crops in Eurasia: Rise & Spread

What made Eurasia a prime location for domesticable plants? How did Eurasia’s geographic location give it an advantage? Jared Diamond, a historian, geographer, and ornithologist, contends that Eurasia benefited from having geographical features that supported the diffusion of crops and the rise and spread of food production. He said that the two features that set Eurasia apart were its axis orientation and the lack of topographic and ecological factors. Continue reading to learn about the history of the diffusion of crops in Eurasia.

How to Find Balance Between Work and Life

How hard should you work? What does it mean to work hard but smart? Is work-life balance achievable? In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, peak performance expert Eric Barker discusses the importance of hard work and persistence. He does, however, believe that there’s such a thing as working too hard. He argues that a truly successful life involves pursuing joy, reaching your goals, connecting with others, and making an impact, and he offers tips on how to build a schedule so that you can achieve this healthy balance. Keep reading for Barker’s ideas on finding balance between work and life.

The 2 Crucial Disadvantages of Big Data

What are the disadvantages of big data? At what point does data get in the way? In Everybody Lies, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz warns that good data science isn’t just a matter of amassing a giant data set. When working with data, he says it’s important to keep data’s shortcomings in mind and not lose sight of the bigger picture. Read more so you can be aware of big data’s disadvantages.

Tribal Leadership: Book Synopsis & Key Takeaways

What’s a tribe? How do tribal cultures develop? What does a tribal leader do? In the book Tribal Leadership, Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King contend that organizations succeed or fail on the strength of their tribes—groups of individuals with shared social norms and ways of working. They argue that you can improve your organization by elevating the cultures of those tribes. If you implement their strategies, the authors say you’ll improve both your bottom line and the happiness of your employees. Take a look at our overview of the book, and see what you can apply to your

Is Obesity a Choice or a Disease? Doctor Explains

Why shouldn’t we blame obese patients for being dangerously overweight? Is obesity a choice or a disease? To answer this question, we must first understand the root cause of obesity. If obesity is caused solely by eating too much, then we could indeed attribute it to personal choice. However, the prevailing view of obesity as a problem of uncontrolled eating is simplistic and limited. Ultimately, obesity is a hormonal disorder. Here’s why obesity is a disease rather than a problem of self-control.

Stephen Covey’s Trust Equation: Trust Adds Up

The Millionaire Next Door Formula for Net Worth

What is Stephen Covey’s trust equation and how can you use it? How does measuring trust help you predict your success? Stephen Covey outlined the trust equation in his book The Speed of Trust, a guide for leaders and individuals teaching the importance of cultivating and leveraging trust in relationships. The trust equation creates a simple way for readers to determine the likelihood of success based on the factors of trust, strategy, and execution. Keep reading for an explanation of Stephen Covey’s trust equation, including how to apply it to your own situation.

Coaching Your Work Team: Management Tips

How you can keep your work team’s performance high? What is the most effective way to coach your team? In The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo emphasizes the importance of building trust with your team by coaching them. To do this in the best way possible, you need to demonstrate that you care and give or request feedback. Let’s look at Zhuo’s advice for coaching your team to victory.

How to Gain More Energy: 6 Self-Care Tips

Are you constantly feeling tired? Do you need to gain more energy? In Make Time, Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky give self-care tips that will help keep you energized. These tips include eating smarter, relaxing, when to drink caffeine, and more. Keep reading to learn how to gain more energy throughout the day.