Shortform Books

The Inside Out Approach—The Best Way to Change Bad Habits

Do you want to make your life better? Are you struggling in your personal or professional life, your interactions with other people, your life balance, or your life’s purpose? Have you made attempts to fix these issues — from workshops to self-help books to counseling — with little or no success? Try the “inside out” approach. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People endorses an inside out approach to improving yourself and your life. This method starts with examining and adjusting your character, your motives, and how you see the world; only when you start from the foundation of your character and

Dr. Emma Hayward—How She Helped Paul Kalanithi Live Fully

Dr. Emma Hayward is an American oncologist. She treated the cancer of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, and she was featured in the book When Breath Becomes Air.” Paul Kalanithi was a respected doctor in neuroscience and worked with many other reputable doctors. But when Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer just as he was preparing to reach his career goals, he found himself on the other side of the doctor-patient relationship. Throughout When Breath Becomes Air, Paul discusses how his doctor, Emma Hayward, helped him frame his diagnosis differently and live a better life.

The Stages of Grief and Cancer: Paul Kalanithi’s Experience

Grief can come in many forms from many places. Experiencing the stages of grief in cancer diagnoses is common. The stages of grief are considered: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Faced with a devastating stage IV cancer diagnosis at age 35, Dr. Paul Kalanithi turned to his support systems and his writing as a way to cope. Dr. Kalanithi, a respected doctor with big plans for his future, discusses how he experienced the five stages of grief with cancer as he mourned the life he planned, and tries to envision a new one.

Lucy Kalanithi’s Epilogue: Completing Paul’s Manuscript and Legacy

Lucy Kalanithi is an American physician. She was Paul Kalanithi’s wife, and completed and published his book, When Breath Becomes Air after his death. In Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s touching memoir about life and death in the face of a cancer diagnosis, he details the harrowing journey of treatment, starting a family, his marriage, and learning to live life on different terms. Paul met his wife, Lucy Kalanithi at Stanford. The couple later married and moved to California together. Throughout When Breath Becomes Air, Lucy Kalanithi is a central figure. Lucy is initially angry about Paul’s diagnosis, but both later admit

Dr. Paul Kalanithi: How He Found Meaning in His Last Days

When Breath Becomes Air recounts the life of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon, after he is diagnosed with lung cancer during his last year of residency. With elegant and beautiful prose befitting a novelist more than a doctor, Paul guides readers through his life before and after his diagnosis, a life marked by a search for understanding life, death, and meaning.

Covey’s Time Management Matrix—Focus on What Matters

Take a moment to think about your life and your goals. What are some things that you could do — but aren’t doing — that would significantly benefit your life and get your closer to achieving your goals? This is an important task, and one that you’re neglecting. This is where Stephen Covey’s time management matrix and the four quadrants come in. Quadrants organize tasks according to urgency and importance. Covey’s matrix allows you to prioritize what matters.

Stephen Covey’s 4 Quadrants: The Secret to Productivity

The Secrets to Effective Time Management in Sales

The 4 Quadrants of the 7 Habits help us manage our time and be proactive. But what are the Quadrants 1, 2, 3, and 4? How can they help us be more proactive and manage time efficiently? When attempting to prioritize time, we can turn to Stephen Covey’s 4 Quadrants. The 7 Habits Quadrants separate tasks by categorizing their levels of urgency and importance. See how you can be proactive with your time be managing it according to your values, according to Stephen Covey’s Quadrants.

Personal Mission Statements (7 Habits)—The Ultimate Guide

As life constantly changes, how do you keep your focus on your values and goals? How do you make sure every small action you make is moving you closer to your destination? You can create a personal mission statement. A 7 Habits mission statement is a document you create that identifies the big picture — the life you want to lead, the character traits you want to embody, the impact you want to have on those around you. This document serves as a reminder of your ultimate goals and helps you ensure each short-term pursuit and daily action is in

Kurt Lewin’s Force Field Analysis—Make Better Decisions

In order to make lasting change in your life, you need to make changes that foster that growth while also eliminating the factors that are limiting growth. Synergy is especially effective at minimizing the negative forces that push back against positive growth. The Force Field Analysis is an analogy to explain the factors influencing social situations. It was developed by sociologist Kurt Lewin and states there’s an equilibrium between the driving forces and restraining forces of a situation. In order to achieve an effective action, you should strive to find balance. How can Kurt Lewin’s Force Field Analysis help you

Stephen Covey’s Quadrant 2—Be Insanely Productive

But what is Quadrant 2? How do you use it? And how can you use Quadrant 2 to boost productivity? Quadrant 2 is the area of Stephen Covey’s time management matrix that includes tasks that are important, but not urgent. As Covey explains in The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, Quadrant 2 is the most important quadrant and to be productive, you need to spend most of your time in Quadrant 2. Working toward Quadrant 2 is an ongoing process that will be a consistent part of the 7 habits. Learn how to identify Quadrant 2 tasks to be