Shortform Books

The Benefits of Meditation for Focus & Concentration

Do you find it difficult to sustain focus? How can meditation help you take control of your attention? Part of the practice of hyperfocus is focusing on a task for a set period of time, which can be hard to do. Meditation and mindfulness can help. They improve the quality of your attention in three ways: training you to focus longer, warding off distractions, and helping you to direct your attention more often. Learn about the benefits of meditation for focus and concentration.

The Strong and Weak Anthropic Principles Explained

What are the strong and weak anthropic principles? Do they resolve the fine-tuning problem? Models for the big bang theory imply that the initial conditions of the universe would have had to be precisely right for habitable planets to form. Stephen Hawking argues that this need for fine-tuning indicates a problem with the big bang theory. He discusses anthropic principles in an effort to address the problem. Read more to learn about the anthropic principles.

Asking for Feedback: Do It in Spite of Discomfort

How do you approach feedback? Do you tend to get defensive when someone pinpoints the flaws in your performance? Why is it important to seek feedback? Asking for feedback from others increases your accountability, although praise and criticism from others is not the primary way you should determine if you’re doing your job well or not. In his book First Things First, Stephen Covey recommends the “continue/stop/start” method for requesting feedback about your performance. Learn about the importance of seeking feedback and how to go about it.

The Fine Line Between Micromanagement & Leadership

Have you been accused of micromanaging? How does micromanaging and overseeing every little detail of your team’s workflow hinder performance? There is a fine line between leadership and micromanagement. Micromanagers are too nervous to give up control because they don’t trust their team’s judgment or capabilities. However, micromanagement actually hinders, not helps, performance. Here’s how micromanagement hurts both your team and their performance.

The Psychology of Money: Quotes by Morgan Housel

Looking for quotes from The Psychology of Money? What is the secret to financial success? Most of us assume financial success depends on education and intelligence. But according to Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money, the key to financial success lies in understanding human behavior. Here’s a selection of passages highlighting some of the key ideas.

Information Chunking, Learning, and Creativity

What is information chunking? How does it relate to creativity and learning? Your brain has a tendency to chunk related bits of information together. When you understand how this process works, you can leverage it to enhance learning and stimulate creativity. Here is how information chunking works.

Investment Failures: Don’t Let Them Hold You Back

Have you ever made an investment that didn’t turn out the way you expected? What should you do if your investment fails? It’s easy to become discouraged when things don’t go as planned, especially when your money is on the line. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take risks. Investment failures do occur, fairly frequently, but if you keep trying, you could get lucky enough with one investment that it outweighs any failures. Here is why you shouldn’t let failure hold you back from trying again.

A Unifying Theory: A Hopeless Quest?

Where are scientists in their attempts to develop a unifying theory? Is string theory the answer? Hawking asserts that the ultimate goal of science is to develop a “unifying theory” that can be applied in any context. Scientists have made progress towards this goal but have not yet achieved it. In the meantime, they use two major theories. Hawking discusses the limitations of each of these theories as well as some of the attempts to create a unified theory. Read more to learn about a unifying theory in science.

IQ and Success: A Complicated Connection

What is the connection between IQ and success? Are people who score high on IQ tests more likely to be successful in life? Although we tend to assume that high “analytical intelligence”—as measured by IQ tests—is a prerequisite for success, extraordinary success in life is often the result of “practical intelligence.” Moreover, external factors (nurture) are at least as important as innate ability (nature) in determining a person’s success. To explore this argument, let’s examine the origins and impacts of each type of intelligence.

The Dichotomy of Leadership: Quotes & Passages

Are you looking for The Dichotomy of Leadership quotes by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? Leadership requires a delicate balance of various dichotomies: You must be compassionate yet pragmatic, humble yet confident, bold yet cautious. In The Dichotomy of Leadership, former Navy SEAL commanders and corporate leadership consultants Jocko Willink and Leif Babin will teach you to reconcile common dichotomies or conflicts in leadership. Below is a selection of quotes with explanations to help you put them into context.