Shortform Books

How to Cultivate Sudden Insights: Taking Advantage of Serendipity

Have you ever taken a “reading vacation”? Do you collaborate with artificial intelligence? Do you think in the shower—or just sing? You might wonder how people come up with incredible innovations. Best-selling author and theorist Steven Johnson explores where good ideas come from. Sometimes, they come from epiphanies, and he shares ways to take advantage of serendipitous moments. Keep reading to learn how to cultivate sudden insights that could lead to exciting places.

How to Maximize Productivity: 6 Ways to Make the Most of Today

Do you have big dreams but continually fail to make much progress? How many moments have you squandered just today? In Someday Is Today, Matthew Dicks explains how you can eliminate time-wasters and increase your efficiency on necessary tasks. Then he argues that you must learn how to maximize productivity and reach your full potential so you can become as successful as possible, as soon as possible. Continue reading for Dicks’s top six principles for maximizing productivity and an exercise to help you apply them.

3 Common Business Problems & How to Navigate Them Wisely

How long does it take to find the right investors? How do you maintain personal well-being when leading a business? Why should you memorialize business catastrophes? No matter how well your launches go, you’ll likely face challenges in your business. Serial entrepreneur Tony Fadell recommends strategies for three common business problems: a lack of funds, a lack of work-life balance, and catastrophes. Continue reading to learn how to navigate these challenges and come through as a stronger leader with a stronger business.

The Future of Design: What’s Next for Tech?

What are the main issues with technology today? What does the future of design look like? Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant’s book User Friendly contends that technology has become inhumane and addictive. The authors provide two main recommendations to achieve a future vision of a user-friendly world: Streamline many of the gadgets in people’s lives and design technologies that adhere to users’ values. Keep reading to learn what the future of design should look like to enhance people’s lives.

Is a US TikTok Ban on the Horizon?

Will TikTok get banned in the US? What are the arguments for and against a US TikTok ban? What does the ban mean for you? In recent months, the White House, Congress, US armed forces, and more than half of US states have banned TikTok, from government-issued devices. There’s broad concern that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could share Americans’ personal data with the Chinese government. Keep reading to learn about both sides of the argument.

How Does Mental Health Affect Work Performance?

How does mental health affect work performance? How have bad mental health treatments destroyed well-known leaders? Both good and bad mental health affect work performance. For most, it’s important to be in a healthy state of mind when working. However, some leaders actually benefit from poor mental health, especially during crisis situations. Learn why A First-Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi says you need to check in on your mental health as a leader.

Age-Reversal Technology: A Look at Regenerative Medicine

Can human aging be reversed? How can age-reversal technology change society as we know it? Aging used to be conceived as an irreversible phenomenon. However, as medical technology advances, scientists are beginning to reconsider this long-held view. Here’s a look at several ongoing innovations that could one day help us reverse the human aging process.

The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years

Who was Paramahansa Yogananda? Do you want to learn about the life of Yogananda during his early years? Paramahansa Yogananda was a prominent yogi, guru, and author of the popular memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi. In his early life, Yogananda claimed to experience supernatural abilities and had a deep yearning for spiritual growth. Read on to learn about the early life of Yogananda, according to his memoir Autobiography of a Yogi.

The Second Turning: America’s Consciousness Revolution

How did the assassination of John F. Kennedy affect America? How did parenting styles change after the 1950s? What reenergized the Republican Party? According to historian William Strauss and consultant Neil Howe, Anglo-American history goes in phases, which they call Turnings. Each Turning has its own characteristics. They say that the Second Turning is an awakening of sorts, and they call the most recent one “the Consciousness Revolution.” Read more to learn about Second Turnings in general and America’s most recent Second Turning, from 1964 to 1984.

Reaching a Higher Consciousness: The Top 2 Benefits

How can reaching a higher consciousness benefit you? What are peak states? According to the authors of Stealing Fire, Stephen Kotler and Jamie Wheal, reaching a higher consciousness leads to intrinsically fulfilling experiences, which benefit us in numerous ways. The authors argue that these peak-state experiences may be deeply transformative. Read on to learn about peak states and the benefits of reaching a higher consciousness.