The World's Best Book Summaries
Do you have trouble maximizing time at your workplace? How can the Scrum Sprint cycle help your team use their time more efficiently? Sprints are fixed lengths of time, usually one or two weeks, in which the team works on a particular task or tasks. Scrum Sprints are where the work gets done, where value is created, and where people turn ideas into reality. Here’s a look at the benefits of the Scrum Sprint cycle.
What is the connection between evolution and behavior? What are some examples of human behaviors that have survival value? Our brains work the way they do because of evolution: Ancestors who behaved in certain ways were more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on the genes that caused them to behave in those ways. So now, many generations later, those genes still survive in us and influence our behavior. Let’s examine the key categories of human behavior that are the product of evolution.
What are examples of outcome goals? Why should you avoid pursuing outcome goals? According to Austin Kleon in his book Keep Going, outcome goals are unhealthy because they focus more on the result and less on the process. This especially applies to people working on a creative project. Here are two outcome goals examples and why Kleon says you should avoid them.
What is fundamental analysis in trading? Is it possible to predict the market based solely on what fundamental analysis says? Fundamental analysis predicts what the market will do based solely on what mathematical models say is logical. However, traders’ behavior is far from logical, which is why fundamental analysis alone is not enough to predict what happens in the market. Here’s why you can’t predict the market based on fundamental analysis alone.
How does fasting promote weight loss? What is the mechanism behind the weight loss effect of fasting? Your body has a powerful built-in fat-burning mechanism that’s activated by fasting. However, weight loss isn’t immediate once you start fasting. Since our bodies are used to overeating, we need to teach them to access our fat stores again. When you start fasting, your body won’t yet know how to burn fat and will instead slow your metabolism to save energy until you can eat again. Here’s a look at the science behind fasting and weight loss.
What was samurai culture like? What aspects of it should be applied to organizational culture? Ben Horowitz believes business leaders should follow the samurai’s example of intentionally defining foundational beliefs coupled with instructions for everyday behavior. We’ll explore Horowitz’s four lessons from the samurai honor code as well as examples from the business world. Keep reading for details on these actionable values from samurai culture.
Is constant economic growth sustainable? Is it time to end our obsession with economic growth and start transitioning to a post-growth economy? Economic growth is not a remedy to humanity’s challenges. Despite growth, we still have a large amount of poverty, food insecurity, lack of opportunity, and other problems of deprivation. According to Kate Raworth, the author of Doughnut Economics, this is the time we start thinking about and planning for a no-growth future. Here’s why economic growth does not equal prosperity and how we can start transitioning to a no-growth future.
What are the main lessons in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho? How can you apply the book’s lessons to your own life? The Alchemist is the story of an Andalusian shepherd boy’s journey of spiritual awakening. The boy gives up everything to embark on a long journey across the desert toward the Egyptian pyramids, to look for a treasure he has dreamed of. He follows omens and the wisdom of spiritual guides he meets along the way. Here are the biggest lessons Santiago learns during his journey.
What’s the best way to learn a skill? How do you get momentum? What role do others play? Mastering a skill is a key component of mastering a discipline. In the book Mastery, Robert Greene argues that the best way to develop a skill is through hands-on learning. He provides three recommendations for practicing in this way. Keep reading for Greene’s advice on how to master a skill.
What is collective consciousness? How deeply do your actions affect others? Gary Zukav argues that your choices shape the realities of those you identify with, whether that’s others who share your gender, others who share your nationality, or other humans in general. He asserts that your behaviors carry vibrations that are felt by you and flow out to those around you. Here’s how Zukav discusses collective consciousness in his book The Seat of the Soul.