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,…
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…
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.”
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,…
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…
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…
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…
This is a full live recording of the presentation delivered by Tiago Forte and Lauren Valdez on their Notion As A Second Brain tour, on how they think about and use Notion in their work at Forte Labs. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a full transcript and slides. Guest presentations Below are…
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…
I’m proud to announce my new book, The Heart is the Bottleneck. In this book, I explore and dissect a wide range of topics related to productivity and personal effectiveness. From note-taking and writing, to creativity and curation, to being a digital nomad and working with a virtual assistant. Tying together these topics is the…
I raised the tennis racket high above my head once again, the gloves on my hands failing to prevent the blisters already forming. My eyes were wide with fear as I struck the pillow before me with all my strength. I felt at the edge of control, at the edge of what I knew. The…
Here are my goals for 2020. I’m publishing them for public accountability, and just in case anyone out there has a goal that is aligned with one of mine. 1. Write and publish Building a Second Brain book by June 1, 2020, with 100,000 copies sold by end of 2020 This is the big priority…