Virtual Workshop with Srini Rao: Transform Information into Wisdom with Progressive Summarization

On Thursday, March 26 at 5pm ET I joined Srini Rao for an in-depth workshop on Progressive Summarization, my technique for highlighting the information you consume and turning it into bite-sized nuggets of wisdom. Srini is the founder of The Unmistakable Creative, a blog and podcast for creative people who don’t accept the status quo. He’s…

Interview and Q&A with Sönke Ahrens on How to Take Smart Notes

On Thursday, March 19, at 9am ET, I will be interviewing Sönke Ahrens, author of the breakout book How To Take Smart Notes. This is your chance to ask him your burning questions on note-taking and non-fiction writing. Ahrens is a Lecturer in Philosophy of Education at the University of Duisburg-Essen and also coaches students,…

How to Prepare for the Coronavirus in Six Steps

Step 1: Know the Basics Who is most susceptible: the elderly and people with preexisting conditions (mortality rate for those under 40 is only 0.2% while it is 8% for those 70-79) How it spreads: by aerosolized droplets (e.g. the droplets you release when you cough or sneeze. These droplets can travel over 6 feet…

Saving and Organizing Resources in Notion, by Marie Poulin

This is a short, excellent video by Notion expert Marie Poulin on how she organizes her notes, reading highlights, to do’s, and other personal information in Notion. Including cameos by my PARA system and Progressive Summarization technique, and a reminder to save notes “just-in-time” instead of “just-in-case.”

Tiago’s Comprehensive Guide to Creating a Profitable Online Course

This is a comprehensive guide to creating a profitable online course, based on my experience developing 6 courses over 7 years, which have been taken by more than 25,000 students and produced well over $1 million in revenue. It introduces my 4-P model for developing a course, referring to the 4 main stages of Planning,…

Version 10 of Building a Second Brain

One of my favorite science fiction books of all time is Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. The series follows Takeshi Kovacs, an elite rebel fighter known as an “Envoy.” Takeshi lives hundreds of years in the future, at a time when a crucial invention has profoundly changed society: cortical stacks, known simply as “stacks.” They…

Video Interview: Eclectic Spacewalk with Tiago Forte

This is the first interview I’ve done that was recorded on video, with Nicholas McCay on his podcast Eclectic Spacewalk. Originally published on their Substack newsletter, you can also read the full transcript. Here’s the show notes: How growing up in a diverse cultural household shaped his worldview. (03:02) Reading and books were always a…

Comparing Frameworks for Self-Development: A Conversation with Joe Hudson

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m a big fan of what I call “personal growth.” But you may have wondered, “What the heck IS personal growth?” I’ve honestly struggled to define it: It’s not religion, though it often has a spiritual flavor It’s not philosophy, although it can easily get…

How To Take Smart Notes: 10 Principles to Revolutionize Your Note-Taking and Writing

I long ago stopped reading books on note-taking. They were always too vague and boring, full of platitudes that had little to do with the world outside academia. I especially avoided “how-to” style books on the subject. They would often list dozens of tips and tricks that had little to do with each other. There…