How does it feel to have a Second Brain? It feels like raw power. Like energy coursing into my mind and body from every source of information I have access to. Like the world is made of ideas, and I have a key to its underlying reality. It feels like I am the master of…
This essay was originally posted on the Ribbonfarm blog. The organizing principle of the modern world is pain. Avoiding it, yes. But also trading in it, taking refuge in it, and using it to justify our actions. Pain has so many uses. Why would you ever give up such a versatile tool? We trade in…
In this interview, I spoke with Stewart Alsop III on his Crazy Wisdom podcast about how to build a second brain using technology. We got deep into how technology is impacting our ability to learn, for good and for ill. Visit the episode webpage or listen below:
I first started taking notes on a computer at the age of 22, when I came down with a mysterious illness in college. The pain was inconsistent, varying a lot from day to day. At first I thought it was a temporary thing, that it would soon go away. But it grew steadily worse, over…
A few months ago I was wasting time on Twitter as usual, and came across a tweet by an online acquaintance referring to “magick.” I figured it was a typo, and messaged him to find out more. That was the beginning of my introduction to the mysterious, strange, paradoxical world of “real magick.” This isn’t…
This post now available in German. The Theory of Constructed Emotion offers a radical new take on what emotions are, where they come from, and how they shape our lives. Presented by psychology professor and neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett in her best-selling book How Emotions Are Made (affiliate link), it also contradicts many of…
This is a conversation and interview with Toby Sola, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Brightmind, a meditation app that expands the boundaries of human potential through tailored meditation instruction. We discuss topics such as: The intersection and fusion of monastic and entrepreneurial cultures How Toby stays focused and motivated building a technology product designed…
At the end of every year I perform an “annual review.” It includes a series of exercises and questions designed to close out the previous year and help me plan for the new one. I decided to do it differently this year. Under the guidance of my friend Ting, I took on a process of…
I recently interviewed Weihaur Lau of Created Living, a health and wellness-based coaching program for leaders. Weihaur’s coaching business focuses on helping leaders bring balance and health to their lives. More specifically, he works with a team of coaches and practitioners to help you understand the coping mechanisms you’ve developed to make it through life,…
At the end of July, I participated in a two-day workshop in San Francisco called Tide Turners. This is the story of what I discovered there. I first met Joe Hudson, the creator and leader of the program, at a Consciousness Hacking meetup dedicated to building products that contribute to self-awareness and sustainability. He led…
Once upon a time, we faced the scourge of Information Overload. Too many emails with too many details producing too many open loops to keep track of. But now we have a new challenge: the Information Apocalypse. Not only is there far too much information to consume or manage, much of that information has now…
When I moved from San Francisco to Oakland in 2014, I was just trying to pay cheaper rent. I never expected to be influenced by the movements that flow through Oakland’s veins: the movements for social justice, for environmental justice, and for black liberation. I’ve since had the privilege of working with some of the…
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