We all know reading can teach you facts, and knowing the right thing at the right time helps you be more successful. But is that the entire reason just about every smart, accomplished person you can think of, from Bill Gates to Barack Obama, credits much of their success to their obsessive reading?

Is reading only about acquiring knowledge?

Not according to neuroscience. Reading, science shows, doesn't just fill your brain with information; it actually changes the way your brain works for the better as well.

Not really!

A growing body of scientific literature shows that reading is basically an empathy workout.By nudging us to take the perspective of characters very different from ourselves, it boosts our EQ. This effect can literally be <a href="https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/this-is-what-a-great-book-does-to-your-brain.html">seen in your brain waves when you read</a>.

In short term, it develops empathy.

Another line of research shows that deep reading, the kind that happens when you curl up with a great book for an extended period of time, also builds up our ability to focus and grasp complex ideas.In short, reading makes you not just more knowledgeable, but also functionally smarter.

In the long run, it helps focus and grasp complex ideas.

<header>OutSystems</header><header>Sponsored Content</header><header dir="ltr"><h2 dir="ltr">Four Fundamental Principles for Great Software Development</h2><h3 dir="ltr">The right development platform can fuel brilliant software builds and deployments.</h3></header><div>Feb 25, 2021</div><figure><picture><source media="(max-width:600px)" srcset="https://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/970x450/getty_1147195672_461898.jpg"><source media="(min-width:601px)" srcset="https://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/1920x1080/getty_1147195672_461898.jpg"><img src="https://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/1920x1080/getty_1147195672_461898.jpg" alt="Four Fundamental Principles for Great Software Development" width="635" height="357"></picture></figure>We started <a href="https://outsystems.com/" dir="ltr">OutSystems</a> almost 20 years ago with a mission that is as important today as it was on our first day. We want every company to be able to innovate through the power of software. For most organizations, the same challenges we faced back then remain true today. Building enterprise class applications is too hard, there are too few developers, and the business environment changes faster than the software and systems that customers count on.&nbsp;The innovation that OutSystems delivers is even more relevant today as consumer expectations for great experiences rise, and technological change and economic disruption is accelerating.&nbsp;So what does “great” look like? We think about a few fundamental principles:<h2 dir="ltr">You must&nbsp;build in&nbsp;differentiation.</h2>Some of the routine software required to run your organization can be sourced ‘off-the-shelf’ from SaaS companies. Those offerings are essentially the same for every customer, so while they provide basic capabilities, every one of your competitors has the same basic capabilities. The most critical software to your organization has to be different, so it has to be built. The only way to build real innovation is from the insight and talent only found in your own context, from your customers, team, and partners.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">You&nbsp;must make the best of the team you have.</h2>Even though you have a team of talented and motivated developers, it probably seems like your team is never big enough to keep up. The truth is that even the Silicon Valley elite can’t hire enough developers, so the problem isn’t a shortage of talent; the problem is that traditional development requires too much focus on mundane, arcane and repetitive tasks. Our mission is to make it possible for you to get the most out of your team by making them dramatically more productive. Not only do we strive to make developers more productive, we have designed a platform that accelerates the entire application lifecycle ensuring that the productivity of everyone on your digital projects teams gets a boost.&nbsp;<h2>How&nbsp;fast you iterate is more important than how fast you invent.</h2>Looking for one new idea isn’t enough. Starting with Google allowing employees to devote 20 percent of their time to new ideas, the great innovators have not tried to apply strict organization to new development. The great innovators have made it possible for lots of new ideas to flourish, rather than trying to perfect one idea. As they find new ideas that are viable, they then quickly and effectively iterate and improve upon those ideas through real user interactions and feedback.<h2>The&nbsp;walls between teams must fall.</h2>It used to be that developers would work in one community, ops teams would work in another and business people would be kept at arm's length. To really make meaningful change happen fast, organizations must mix teams and skills together in order to quickly define, develop and test their thinking.&nbsp;OutSystems uses these fundamental principles to develop a unique approach based on three connected concepts--applications have to be built fast, built right and built for the future.&nbsp;Building applications fast&nbsp;is critical to be competitive, and every aspect of OutSystems is designed to help developers build complete, compelling software solutions quickly and efficiently with a high-productivity, visual development approach.But fast alone isn’t enough--you have to be able to&nbsp;build things the right way. At the heart of the OutSystems platform are integrated tools and services that ensure modern, enterprise-grade applications are secure, resilient, cloud-ready, and built to scale.&nbsp;Finally, it is critical that&nbsp;applications are built for the future.&nbsp;OutSystems helps customers deliver modern applications capable of evolving as fast as the world around you, your business model, and your team. With a potent combination of sophisticated platform services, AI, visual tools for design and programming, and an underlying architecture enabling the ongoing introduction of features and capabilities, OutSystems is designed for managing change.&nbsp;We have a phrase in Portugal, “afinal de contas,” which roughly translates to “when all is said and done.” Ultimately, results matter, and we have always been focused on helping our customers get results. When we see what our customers do with the OutSystems platform, we get even more excited about what’s possible when ambitious teams get to work with the right platforms. We’re focused on serious productivity for development teams building serious apps, and that makes us a little different. Since the beginning, we have been singularly focused on this mission, and we’re excited about the validation of our approach and about the opportunity that lies ahead.&nbsp;<div>Feb 25, 2021</div>

Reading doesn't just cram information into your brain. It changes how your brain works. 

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

Four Fundamental Principles for Great Software Development

The right development platform can fuel brilliant software builds and deployments.

We started <a dir="ltr" href="https://outsystems.com/">OutSystems </a>almost 20 years ago with a mission that is as important today as it was on our first day. We want every company to be able to innovate through the power of software. For most organizations, the same challenges we faced back then remain true today. Building enterprise class applications is too hard, there are too few developers, and the business environment changes faster than the software and systems that customers count on.

The innovation that OutSystems delivers is even more relevant today as consumer expectations for great experiences rise, and technological change and economic disruption is accelerating.

So what does “great” look like? We think about a few fundamental principles:

You must  b  uild  in   differentiation.

Some of the routine software required to run your organization can be sourced ‘off-the-shelf’ from SaaS companies. Those offerings are essentially the same for every customer, so while they provide basic capabilities, every one of your competitors has the same basic capabilities. The most critical software to your organization has to be different, so it has to be built. The only way to build real innovation is from the insight and talent only found in your own context, from your customers, team, and partners.

You  must make the best of the team you have.

Even though you have a team of talented and motivated developers, it probably seems like your team is never big enough to keep up. The truth is that even the Silicon Valley elite can’t hire enough developers, so the problem isn’t a shortage of talent; the problem is that traditional development requires too much focus on mundane, arcane and repetitive tasks. Our mission is to make it possible for you to get the most out of your team by making them dramatically more productive. Not only do we strive to make developers more productive, we have designed a platform that accelerates the entire application lifecycle ensuring that the productivity of everyone on your digital projects teams gets a boost.

How fast you iterate is more important than how fast you invent.

Looking for one new idea isn’t enough. Starting with Google allowing employees to devote 20 percent of their time to new ideas, the great innovators have not tried to apply strict organization to new development. The great innovators have made it possible for lots of new ideas to flourish, rather than trying to perfect one idea. As they find new ideas that are viable, they then quickly and effectively iterate and improve upon those ideas through real user interactions and feedback.

It used to be that developers would work in one community, ops teams would work in another and business people would be kept at arm's length. To really make meaningful change happen fast, organizations must mix teams and skills together in order to quickly define, develop and test their thinking.

OutSystems uses these fundamental principles to develop a unique approach based on three connected concepts--applications have to be built fast, built right and built for the future. Building applications fast  is critical to be competitive, and every aspect of OutSystems is designed to help developers build complete, compelling software solutions quickly and efficiently with a high-productivity, visual development approach.

But fast alone isn’t enough--you have to be able to build things the right way . At the heart of the OutSystems platform are integrated tools and services that ensure modern, enterprise-grade applications are secure, resilient, cloud-ready, and built to scale.

Finally, it is critical that applications are built for the future .  OutSystems helps customers deliver modern applications capable of evolving as fast as the world around you, your business model, and your team. With a potent combination of sophisticated platform services, AI, visual tools for design and programming, and an underlying architecture enabling the ongoing introduction of features and capabilities, OutSystems is designed for managing change.

We have a phrase in Portugal, “afinal de contas ,” which roughly translates to “when all is said and done.” Ultimately, results matter, and we have always been focused on helping our customers get results. When we see what our customers do with the OutSystems platform, we get even more excited about what’s possible when ambitious teams get to work with the right platforms. We’re focused on serious productivity for development teams building serious apps, and that makes us a little different. Since the beginning, we have been singularly focused on this mission, and we’re excited about the validation of our approach and about the opportunity that lies ahead.

This Is How Reading Rewires Your Brain, According to Neuroscience

Is reading only about acquiring knowledge?

Not really!

In short term, it develops empathy.

In the long run, it helps focus and grasp complex ideas.

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