{"id":52921,"date":"2021-11-06T02:30:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T06:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=52921"},"modified":"2021-11-08T12:09:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T16:09:49","slug":"short-term-objectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is it better to focus on short-term objectives rather than planning for the long term? Should you always have an end goal in mind when pursuing something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Epstein, the author of Range, <\/em>explains that it’s better to chase your current opportunities and passions than trying to create a long-term plan. There are three major reasons for this: you will change, you can’t predict the future<\/a>, and you can’t know if a certain job would even fit you well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why you should shift your focus to your short-term objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Plan in the Short Term, Not the Long Term<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to accepted wisdom, Epstein argues that it\u2019s better to chase whatever opportunities you\u2019re passionate about in the short term than to commit to a single long-term goal or vision for your future. This is true for a number of reasons and is rooted in the fact that the world is impossible to predict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason #1: You Will Change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, people change, and it\u2019s impossible for you to know how much you\u2019ll change. A job that was a good fit for you ten years ago may not be anymore, and you\u2019ll need to pivot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies show that people vastly underestimate how much they\u2019re likely to change over the next several years\u2014a phenomenon known as the \u201cend-of-history-illusion\u201d\u2014so they often overcommit to plans they make at a young age. Epstein states that our personalities change the most between the ages of 18 and 30, yet this is when many people decide what they\u2019re going to do for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you realize that the life you\u2019ve planned for yourself doesn\u2019t fit you anymore, it\u2019s time to pivot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why We Don\u2019t Think We\u2019ll Change<\/strong>

Studies have shown that people will consistently underestimate how much they will change in the next ten years, even after reflecting on how much they\u2019ve changed in the last ten years. This effect has been shown to last even among subjects in their 60s. The psychologists behind the original 2013 end-of-history illusion study have offered a couple of theories to explain this phenomenon. The first is that we do it because it feels good\u2014believing that you won\u2019t change much is, in a subtle way, deeply comforting. The terrifying alternative is that the goals you\u2019re working toward and sacrificing for may eventually seem pointless, or you may change your mind completely about the person you decided to marry. Alternatively, we may assume that we won\u2019t change just to conserve mental energy\u2014it would be exhausting to try and predict your future self<\/a> every time you make a decision<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reason #2: You Can\u2019t Predict Future Opportunities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Epstein argues that it\u2019s impossible to predict what opportunities will or won\u2019t be available in the future. Many of today\u2019s jobs didn\u2019t exist ten years ago. The people who get them don\u2019t need to specifically aim for them\u2014they just build up skills and pivot when the time feels right. Planning your career years in advance is like drawing a map for a city that hasn\u2019t been built yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein cites a Harvard study of nonlinear career paths<\/a> known as the Dark Horse Project. The researchers assumed that they would struggle to find successful professionals with meandering careers, but, interestingly, 90% of their first 50 subjects acknowledged that their journeys were unusually indirect. They found that these professionals shared a propensity for short-term objective planning, passionately pursuing whatever seemed right at the time and pivoting if the need arose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roadtrip Nation\u2019s Nonlinear Success Stories<\/a><\/strong>

As described in Cal Newport\u2019s So Good They Can\u2019t Ignore You<\/em>, Roadtrip Nation is a nonprofit founded by a group of friends who went on a cross-country journey to interview people who successfully live meaningful lives. Their goal is to help people figure out what to do with their lives\u2014and, like Harvard\u2019s Dark Horse Project, they\u2019ve found that most fulfilled people stumbled into their pursuits without a long-term plan. In an interview with Roadtrip Nation, astrobiologist Andrew Steele admits that he never knew what his end goal was. When he started his Ph.D. in biotechnology, all he wanted was \u201coptions.\u201d He saw the degree as a valuable resource that would let him pivot into a wide range of interesting fields, understanding that it would be impossible for him to predict all the specifics. Al Merrick, the founder and owner of revered surfboard manufacturer Channel Islands Surfboards, phrased it this way in his interview with Roadtrip Nation: \u201cI set goals for myself at being the best I could be at what[ever] I did.\u201d Short-term planning is all about working hard at what you can control<\/a> and letting go of what you can\u2019t.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reason #3: You Can\u2019t Predict How Well a Job Will Fit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The only way to know if a pursuit is a good fit for you is to try it. It\u2019s impossible to know for certain how much you\u2019ll enjoy something or how good you\u2019ll be at it unless you experience it firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Circumstances and context have a far greater impact on personality than you would expect\u2014people change drastically when they\u2019re put in different situations. Think of an \u201cambivert\u201d who is extroverted at parties but introverted at home with family. Epstein cites many examples of professionals who tried new things and discovered unexpected affinities for new pursuits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of this, Epstein urges us to \u201cfirst act, and then think\u201d\u2014you can plan all you want, but the only way you can know if a life is right for you is to try it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s better to live in the real world<\/a> of immediate opportunities than the abstract, theoretical world of long-term plans. If you have even the slightest interest in trying something new, Epstein encourages you to give it a shot\u2014it may click with you on a deeper level than you would ever expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pitfalls of Passion<\/strong>

In So Good They Can\u2019t Ignore You, Cal Newport warns against taking Epstein\u2019s argument too far\u2014you shouldn\u2019t be afraid to pivot if you\u2019re stuck in a job you hate, but you shouldn\u2019t expect your job to be thrilling and life-affirming every second of the day, either. In Newport\u2019s eyes, it\u2019s alright to start a career<\/a> in something you\u2019re not passionate about. The idea that everyone has a single life purpose<\/a> that they need to discover in order to be happy is a myth. In fact, studies have found that most people aren\u2019t passionate about their dream jobs until after they\u2019ve been working there for several years.

This is because the elements of motivation that get you excited to go to work in the morning are extremely different than most people expect. Psychologists have developed a framework called self-determination theory, identifying the primary contributors to motivation as autonomy, competence, and relatedness<\/em>\u2014that is, how much you feel you\u2019re in control over your responsibilities, how skilled and capable you feel, and how connected you feel to those around you. None of these require a deeply emotional divine calling\u2014you can acquire them as you work.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Life Changes Make You Happy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Epstein argues that people who aren\u2019t afraid of making changes in their lives wind up happier, regardless of the specific situations they end up in. Studies show that people who make significant life changes report being significantly happier than those who don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the book\u2019s conclusion, Epstein shares what he believes to be his most important piece of advice: \u201cDon\u2019t feel behind.\u201d You never need to despair that you\u2019re \u201ctoo late\u201d to pursue something you\u2019re interested in\u2014the simple act of pivoting is fulfilling in itself<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing and Growing Makes You Happier<\/strong>

In The Happiness Project<\/em>, Gretchen Rubin emphasizes the role of personal growth in a happy life<\/a>. Rubin points out that no matter how happy your external circumstances make you, that feeling will fade with time\u2014a principle called hedonic adaptation<\/a>. As a result, in order to be happy, you must learn to find joy<\/a> in the struggle toward a goal<\/em>. In her chapter on cultivating a passion<\/a>, Rubin recounts the time she decided to write a novel\u2014a leap outside of her comfort zone. Rubin asserts that, in order to be optimally fulfilled, not only should you find a passion that interests you, you should find one that challenges<\/em> you. Setting a series of ambitious goals<\/a> and achieving them provides sustainable happiness, circumventing hedonic adaptation<\/a> by requiring constant change. Pivoting toward something you\u2019ve never done before, like Rubin\u2019s foray into novel-writing, provides this deeply satisfying element of challenge.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why is it better to focus on short-term objectives rather than planning for the long term? Should you always have an end goal in mind when pursuing something? David Epstein, the author of Range, explains that it’s better to chase your current opportunities and passions than trying to create a long-term plan. There are three major reasons for this: you will change, you can’t predict the future, and you can’t know if a certain job would even fit you well. Here’s why you should shift your focus to your short-term objectives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":53161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,7],"tags":[527],"class_list":["post-52921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-lifestyle","tag-range","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually better to focus on short-term objectives than to plan for the long term. Here is why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually better to focus on short-term objectives than to plan for the long term. Here is why.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-06T06:30:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-08T16:09:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1101\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"596\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\"},\"headline\":\"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-06T06:30:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-08T16:09:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\"},\"wordCount\":1477,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Range\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Career\",\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\",\"name\":\"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-06T06:30:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-08T16:09:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually better to focus on short-term objectives than to plan for the long term. Here is why.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg\",\"width\":1101,\"height\":596},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\",\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hannah Aster\"},\"description\":\"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"SEO Team Lead\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives - Shortform Books","description":"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually better to focus on short-term objectives than to plan for the long term. Here is why.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives","og_description":"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually better to focus on short-term objectives than to plan for the long term. Here is why.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-11-06T06:30:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-11-08T16:09:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1101,"height":596,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hannah Aster","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hannah Aster","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/"},"author":{"name":"Hannah Aster","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f"},"headline":"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives","datePublished":"2021-11-06T06:30:13+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-08T16:09:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/"},"wordCount":1477,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg","keywords":["Range"],"articleSection":["Career","Lifestyle"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/","name":"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg","datePublished":"2021-11-06T06:30:13+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-08T16:09:49+00:00","description":"Contrary to popular belief, it's actually better to focus on short-term objectives than to plan for the long term. Here is why.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg","width":1101,"height":596},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/short-term-objectives\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f","name":"Hannah Aster","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hannah Aster"},"description":"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.","knowsAbout":["Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing"],"jobTitle":"SEO Team Lead","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/two-paths.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52921"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53610,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52921\/revisions\/53610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}