Hannah Aster, Author at Shortform Books

5 Tips for Developing Emotional Competence

Why is emotional competence so important? How can emotional competence help mitigate the effects of stress? According to Dr. Gabor Maté, the author of When the Body Says No, chronic stress can lead to a number of physical ailments. It has even been linked to cancer. He explains that developing emotional competence is the key to counteracting the negative effects of chronic stress on the body. Here’s how to develop emotional competence to keep your mind and body healthy.

Jamie Glowacki Potty Training: The Three Tenets

What are the three C’s to keep in mind when potty training your child? Why are these tenets crucial for successful potty training? Throughout the book Oh Crap! Potty Training, Jamie Glowacki emphasizes three main tenets for successful potty training. The success of Glowacki’s potty training depends on these tenets, so you should understand them before beginning to potty-train your child. Keep reading for more on Jamie Glowacki’s potty training tenets: clarity, consistency, and confidence.

Shortform Reads: Self-Help by Day, Fiction by Night

What book had the greatest impact on Ian? What practice did Ian pick up that changed his life? Ian is from Minnesota but has spent the past few months living in Ireland. He’s a writer at Shortform—summarizing books into educational book guides.

The 3 Most Important Qualities of a Leader

What are the most important qualities of a leader? Why is humbleness an important leadership trait? In their book Execution, business leaders Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan share the qualities you must embody to be a great leader. According to the authors, without these qualities, you will simply not be able to execute and succeed. Here are the most important qualities of a leader, according to Bossidy and Charan.

How Does Trauma Affect the Brain of a Child?

How does trauma affect the brain of a child? Can childhood trauma impact brain development? Childhood trauma can have serious detrimental effects on the developing brain. If you think of the brain as a growing city, imagine trying to build structures on top of a damaged foundation. Eventually, the foundation may crack. Here’s how trauma affects the developing brain.

6 Disadvantages of the Waterfall Model

What is the Waterfall Model in business? What are the disadvantages of the Waterfall Model? The Waterfall Model (or the “Waterfall Method”) is one of the most common management methods in America. This model uses a step-by-step approach to project management where each stage has a set deadline and budget. It sounds good in theory, but projects using this method typically end up behind schedule and over budget. Here’s why the Waterfall Model doesn’t work.

When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté: Book Overview

What is Dr. Gabor Maté’s When the Body Says No about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In his book When the Body Says No, Dr. Gabor Maté explores the connection between stress and disease. Maté argues that modern medicine fails to recognize the devastating effects of chronic stress on our health, in part because of misunderstandings about what stress is and what causes it. Here’s a brief overview of When the Body Says No by Dr. Gabor Maté.

Noise in Human Judgment—What Causes It?

What causes noise in human judgment? Is noise purely psychological, or are there societal causes of noise as well? Noise, as described in the book Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein, is the variability in human judgment. For example, a judge’s mood or hunger level at the time of sentencing could be an example of noise. Here’s a look at what causes noise, human judgment’s enemy.

Oh Crap! Potty Training Block 2: Going Commando

What’s block 2 from Oh Crap! Potty Training? What are some common problems you should expect at this stage? The Oh Crap! Potty Training block 2 involves dressing your child with no diaper or underwear. This block can be especially difficult because it can result in some messy accidents, but it’s an important part of Glowacki’s potty training method. Here are some things to keep in mind during this phase of potty training.

What Happened to You? Oprah and Perry on Trauma

What do Oprah and Bruce Perry say about childhood trauma in their book What Happened to You? In what ways can childhood trauma follow you to adult life? What can you do to ease your suffering? In What Happened to You?, Oprah Winfrey and renowned psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry discuss how childhood trauma can have a severe and lasting impact on the brain—and thus our worldview, health, and behavior—sometimes without us even realizing it. They also describe how to begin the healing process with compassion for yourself and others. Here’s an overview of Oprah and Bruce Perry’s discussions on childhood