The World's Best Book Summaries
Why does smoking cigarettes turn into a habit but changing a tire doesn’t? What makes a habit form in the brain? According to Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, habits need three elements to form: a cue, a routine, and a reward. Once these three elements are in place, a habit is reinforced by craving—the anticipation of the reward when you perceive the cue. Continue reading to learn what makes a habit.
What is the best way to organize your stuff? Is it best to organize by category or by the frequency of use? The go-to method of organization is based on category. However, organizing your belongings by category isn’t actually very efficient. To efficiently access any item, it’s best to segment your stuff based on the frequency of use. Here is how to organize your stuff to give you the best access to the things you need.
Do you know what makes you happy in life? How do you know whether a certain choice or decision will make you happy in the end? You never know for sure whether a certain path is going to make you happy in the end. According to Brian Christian and Thomas Griffiths, the authors of Algorithms to Live By, computer science has the answer to this dilemma: to maximize happiness in your life, pursue whatever opportunity has a chance to be the greatest. Here is why to maximize happiness, you need to put your faith in the unknown.
What exactly is a habit? Why are habits important? A habit is an action repeated over time until it becomes automatic. Habits influence everything—from our purchasing decisions to social movements. Continue reading to learn why habits are so important and influential.
What is virtuous life? What exactly does it mean to live virtuously? According to Ryan Holiday, the author of The Obstacle Is the Way, we have a moral obligation to live a virtuous life. A virtuous person, by Holiday’s definition, is someone who honestly works to improve their lives and the lives of others as much as possible. Here’s what it means to live virtuously, according to Holiday.
What is the cost of discipleship? What does it mean to follow Christ? In the classic The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer emphasizes that discipleship is a matter of personal, dynamic obedience to Christ, not to a program of rituals. However, he does draw a blueprint for the general lifestyle of a disciple, based on what Christ taught his original 12 disciples. Four key aspects of a disciple’s life that he discusses are humility, self-denial, suffering, and pacifism. Read more to learn about Bonhoeffer’s view of discipleship.
How should you optimally spend your working hours every day? What tasks should you complete first? Your optimal scheduling depends on your goals and priorities. In their book Algorithms to Live By, Christian and Griffiths make a case of using computer algorithms to schedule your day in the most optimal way. Here is how to schedule your time using Christian and Griffiths’s scheduling algorithms.
What does a Yellow personality look like? What are the strengths of the Yellow personality? In the book Surrounded by Idiots, Yellow personality types are described as charismatic, popular, and optimistic. You would seek out a Yellow personality at work if you need help finding a creative solution to a problem. Here’s everything you need to know about the Yellow personality type.
What do you do when faced with a difficult choice in life? Do you ever just make decisions at random? Sometimes, the best way to make a difficult choice in life is to appeal to chance. By making a few random, intentionally suboptimal decisions, you can discover opportunities you couldn’t see before and get unstuck. Here is why random decision-making is sometimes the best way to go.
What is the problem with avoiding negative emotions? How do negative emotions—paradoxically enough—contribute to happiness? Modern culture pressures us to reject negative emotions and replace them with positivity. However, even experiences that we deem positive carry with them a negative element. Therefore, we cannot really experience happiness without also experiencing potentially negative emotions. Here is why happiness requires that you embrace negative emotions.