I use the method from 'building the second brain' by Tiago Forte, which argues that the processing should happen when you actually need that knowledge :)
So usually I just save quotes from Books/Articles, in my system, and then when I need, I process it. For example if I'm before a performance review time, I'll review notes from books and articles related to that topic. If I'm writing about laying off people, I'll refresh my memory and process the topics covered that.
The only thing I have dedicated time to digest is podcasts - after a good episode, I'll mostly not put another one and continue thinking about it for a few minutes.
The "never be stuck" principle is so true. We've been taught in school to consume books as a whole—there's no such thing as stopping in the middle. But that's the wrong way to read books!
I have a question: Of the newsletters you subscribe to, how do you decide what articles to read? Is it based on the title? Or do you do a quick skim through the article?
Well, people can just read your newsletter and call it a day, right? That's what I do! 😃 Okay, I follow about five more, but not many! Great topic, Anton, and it's becoming increasingly important!
Great read, Anton. This is something that affect us all.
Even for fiction books, the same principle applies. I was just reading a physical book I borrowed from a friend and I felt pretty uncomfortable dealing with the weight of the book, keeping the pages in place... With a kindle all that is solved and I can focus just on getting into the story
In the beginning I used to enjoy a physical book once in a while, I guess because of old habits. But now I definitely agree, it's makes it easier to just focus on the content.
I loved the article, thanks for going to this level of detail!
I had one thought on processing what we consumed:
- Do you schedule some time to actually process all that knowledge?
- Where is the quiet time when your brain processes all of this?
Most of my processing happens during easy runs.
I use the method from 'building the second brain' by Tiago Forte, which argues that the processing should happen when you actually need that knowledge :)
So usually I just save quotes from Books/Articles, in my system, and then when I need, I process it. For example if I'm before a performance review time, I'll review notes from books and articles related to that topic. If I'm writing about laying off people, I'll refresh my memory and process the topics covered that.
The only thing I have dedicated time to digest is podcasts - after a good episode, I'll mostly not put another one and continue thinking about it for a few minutes.
Thank you, Anton, for your insights.
It is a system that is worth copying and reusing, especially as it works.
I'll learn more about Tiago's method.
The "never be stuck" principle is so true. We've been taught in school to consume books as a whole—there's no such thing as stopping in the middle. But that's the wrong way to read books!
I have a question: Of the newsletters you subscribe to, how do you decide what articles to read? Is it based on the title? Or do you do a quick skim through the article?
P.S. Gonna try Meco now!
One of many things wrong with school teachings :)
Regarding the newsletters - it varies. The higher the percentage of relevant articles for me, the bigger the chance I'll skim through it.
I would guess that I skim around 50-60% of them, and the rest I delete based on the title.
Well, people can just read your newsletter and call it a day, right? That's what I do! 😃 Okay, I follow about five more, but not many! Great topic, Anton, and it's becoming increasingly important!
Thanks Akos :)
Great read, Anton. This is something that affect us all.
Even for fiction books, the same principle applies. I was just reading a physical book I borrowed from a friend and I felt pretty uncomfortable dealing with the weight of the book, keeping the pages in place... With a kindle all that is solved and I can focus just on getting into the story
In the beginning I used to enjoy a physical book once in a while, I guess because of old habits. But now I definitely agree, it's makes it easier to just focus on the content.
Love the lessons here and the visual at the top! That's going to stick with me.
Thanks for sharing your process and for the mention 🙏
Thank you Jordan! Glad you found it useful :)
Great thoughts!
I'm going to keep a few in mind....
One question though, how do you make sure you don't stay stuck with the same topics/writers on a loop? Leave place for serendipity?
That’s a good question. Somehow I feel it takes care of itself - through podcasts, book recommendations and random newsletter I stumble upon 😂
For example, the Tim Ferris podcast is very diverse in terms of people/topics
Knowing when to stop a book or skip a chapter is a skill every reader must have.
Reading word for word is mostly a waste of time, especially in non-fiction books.
When I start getting board of a chapter I usually skip a page or two and if it's still boring I skim it very fast.
Meco is new to me! I will give it a go:)
Skipping to the next chapter is a great addition, I do it too!