Shortform Books

What to Do Before a Presentation: Dale Carnegie’s Timely Advice

What should (and shouldn’t) you eat before a presentation? How should you prepare the stage? If you have a presentation coming up, you know you must figure out what to say and how to say it. But, that’s not the only preparation you should do. Dale Carnegie suggests that, in the hours and moments leading up to your talk, you must turn your attention to several external and last-minute elements. Read more to learn what to do before a presentation, according to Carnegie’s classic book Public Speaking for Success.

How to Practice Zen Buddhism: Keys to Everyday Awakening

Have you ever experienced Zen? Where’s the place to start? How is the Zen practice of meditation different from other methods? Alan Watts says that there’s more to Zen than just a set of philosophical principles or a chronology of religious movements that you can understand on an intellectual level. Zen is also something that you can practice in your own life, at the level of your embodied experiences in the world. Continue reading to learn how to practice Zen Buddhism according to The Way of Zen.

3 Reasons Why Interruption Marketing Doesn’t Work (Seth Godin)

What do billboards and TV commercials have in common? How much are you annoyed by their intrusion? Even if you haven’t heard the specific term before, “Interruption Marketing” probably sounds familiar. You’ve had your experience disrupted by ads that you don’t expect or want. You certainly didn’t ask for them. Seth Godin explains why this type of marketing had its heyday—but it’s finally time to move on. Read more to learn three reasons why Interruption Marketing is no longer as effective as it used to be.

What Is the Goal of Meditation? Sam Harris on Enlightenment

Apotheosis—The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana

What is the goal of meditation? Can meditation be practiced, and its goal achieved, outside of religion? Sam Harris explains that seeking transcendental states of mind has historically been the domain of religion. But, he argues, the contemplative aspects of faith traditions can be practiced in a secular context. Thus, the contentment that results can be enjoyed by anyone. Continue reading to learn what meditation and spiritual enlightenment look like from Harris’s secular worldview.

How to Ask for More Money and Promote Your Value

Guaranteed Basic Income: Creating A Better Tomorrow

Do you believe you deserve a promotion at work? How should you ask for more money? Money is a complicated topic that people like to dance around. But at the end of the day, people rely on money for rent, food, clothes, and more. That’s why you need to learn what you’re worth so you know you’re getting paid the right amount. Let’s look at how to ask for more money that you deserve.

How to Be a Better Partner in a Relationship: 3 Simple Tips

Do you have a “secure base” relationship? Do you share everything with your partner? Even if a relationship is going well, there’s always room for improvement. Rather than pointing the finger outward, consider what you can do. Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz share some practical tips in their book The Good Life. Keep reading to learn their advice on how to be a better partner in a relationship that you can put into practice starting today.

Video Game Development Roles That Cause Chaos

What are outside video game development roles? How do investors and business executives affect a video game’s release window? One of the biggest challenges in making a video game doesn’t relate to the development itself. Instead, it’s a product of collaboration with investors, publishers, and other people out of the game studio whose interests in selling the product might conflict with the developers’ interests in creating it. Discover how an outsider’s perspective can change everything about the development of a video game.

Jennette McCurdy’s Eating Disorder & How She Recovered

How did her mother jumpstart her disordered eating? In what ways did she struggle? How did McCurdy recover? Just as Debra McCurdy controlled her daughter’s acting career, she also controlled Jennette McCurdy’s eating. This steers McCurdy into anorexia and later, bulimia. Find out more about McCurdy’s eating disorders and how she recovered from them.

How to Improve Cognitive Skills: The 4 Best Activities

A diagram of a brain that shows cognitive bias examples

Why are you so susceptible to interference and distractions? What are activities that help improve cognitive skills? Technology and information overload cause interference in the brain because of cognitive control limitations. The Distracted Mind by Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen claims that this interference can be improved with certain activities that help brain function. Keep reading to learn how to improve cognitive skills.

How to Go Easy on Yourself on the Difficult Path to Success

Where’s that sweet spot between pushing yourself to achieve and being too hard on yourself? How might you bring more lightheartedness into your self-discipline? In Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferriss shares advice from scores of experts in various fields on how to identify what matters most to you, how to navigate non-traditional career paths, how to appreciate failure, and more. Some of the counsel is about being kind to yourself in the process of pursuing your goals. Read more for advice on how to go easy on yourself and stop worrying that you’re not smashing all expectations perfectly.