Shortform Books

Cal Newport’s Tips: How To Reply to Emails Effectively

Is responding to emails sucking up your precious work time? How can you set up a work email policy and reply effectively? If you want to know how to reply to emails effectively, follow this guide based off of Cal Newport’s book Deep Work. Newport explains that emails are shallow work and sometimes it’s better not to respond at all. But when you do need to respond, here is advice on how. Keep reading for Cal Newport’s advice on responding to emails.

Hugh Freeze: The Blind Side Coach, New Opportunities

Who is Hugh Freeze in The Blind Side? How did Hugh Freeze influence Michael’s football career? Hugh Freeze in The Blind Side was Michael Oher’s high school football coach at Briarcrest. He was very involved in Michael Oher’s recruitment. Read more about Hugh Freeze, The Blind Side, and the opportunities for Michael.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone: Live With Discomfort

What does getting out of your comfort zone mean? Why is this so important? In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig explains that discomfort is relative. He says that learning to live with discomfort and getting out of your comfort zone will improve your life. Read more about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and getting out of your comfort zone.

Lale Eisenberg: Inspiration for The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Who was Lale Eisenberg? Was Lale a real person or a fictional character? How did Lale end up in Auschwitz? Lale Eisenberg (who later adopted the name Lale Sokolov) was a real Holocaust survivor. The book The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on Lale’s story as told to the author 70 years after the events. The book is considered to be historical fiction rather than a biography, however, because the author used creative license when telling Lale’s story. Keep reading to learn about Lale Eisenberg.

Lovers in Auschwitz: Lale and Gita’s Love Story

Lale and Gita were lovers in Auschwitz, but did that love continue after they escaped? Did they get the happily ever after they always longed for? In the book The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Lale and Gita were lovers in Auschwitz. After the fall of the concentration camp, they both escaped separately and were reunited in Bratislava. They faced many challenges in life, but after what they went through in Auschwitz, Lale and Gita could handle anything together. Keep reading to learn what the lovers in Auschwitz did after their escape.

The Fine Line Between the Mind vs the Brain

What is the difference between the mind vs the brain? How do we know that the contents of the mind are generated by the brain? There is a fine line between the mind vs the brain. The brain is a physical organ, and therefore it can be studied externally, while the mind is the source of subjective experiences, and therefore it can only be observed internally. Experts assume that the mind is a product of the brain, but there’s no proof since you can’t peer into the mind using a brain scanner. Keep reading to learn about the mind vs

Emergent Intelligence: The Source of Creative Solutions

What is emergent intelligence? What are some real-world examples of the emergent intelligence phenomenon? Emergent intelligence is the way intelligent properties come to be as a result of the interactivity of many low-level processes. Some examples of emergence include the ant colony structure, the free market economy, and the human consciousness. Keep reading to understand emergent intelligence.

The 90 Percent Rule: Make Faster Decisions

What is the 90 percent rule of decision-making? How can it help you filter through the available options and make a decision faster? The 90 percent rule is a simple yet ruthless technique for making decisions. It involves identifying the most important criterion for deciding, rating each available option between 0 and 100 percent on that criterion, and then rejecting any option that rates lower than 90 percent. Read about the 90 percent rule of decision-making and how to implement it.

Michael Oher: Mother and Early Life in Memphis

Who was Michael Oher’s mother? What was his early life like? Michael Oher’s mother, Denise, lived with Michael and his siblings in Hurt Village in Memphis. According to The Blind Side, Michael remembers Denise loving her children, even though she couldn’t provide for them. Read more about Michael Oher, his mother, and his difficult childhood.

Perform Better: Create a Mental Representation

What is a mental representation? Why is creating a mental representation the key to reaching peak performance? Mental representations are templates that correspond to objects, ideas, or anything else that the brain might be thinking about. The key to peak performance is developing efficient and effective mental representations. Keep reading to learn more about mental representations and how you can use them to improve performance in almost any area of expertise.