Making Fruit
Hi.
I began a course called Building A Second Brain this past week. The goal of the course is to learn how to “capture, organize, and share your ideas and insights using digital notes, with a systematic approach and tools that you trust to support creative breakthroughs in your work.”
My motivation for signing-up was inspired, in part, by Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young. Here are two quotes that stood out to me.
“At its core, learning is a broadening of horizons, of seeing things that were previously invisible and of recognizing capabilities within yourself that you didn’t know existed…it stretches your self-conception and gives you confidence that you might be able to do things that you couldn’t do before.”
“Rapidly changing fields also mean that professionals need to constantly learn new skills and abilities to stay relevant.”
And an underlying belief that, like trees, humans must grow and share their fruits. One of my go-to quotes from Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History by Joseph Telushkin states that:
“But life, according to G-d’s command, must go on, and the sign of life is growth and creativity” - Rebbe
Even during a time of COVID.
During a moment of total despair…in the midst of tragedy…there are [still] tasks to be accomplished, projects to be continued. - Rebbe
It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. - Pirkeit Avot, Jewish Ethics
Signs of Life
Like an episode of Hoarders, I’ve discovered over 1.5k notes across my own instances of Evernote, Pocket and Roam—on topics ranging from software architecture, product design to coaching, leadership, mindfulness, and improv—that I’ve captured, skimmed, thought about for a second and then, essentially, hid behind a well-worn couch.
Some of those notes have impacted my decision-making (absorbed), some have become knowledge (digested), but a far larger amount of notes have remained information (undigested).
And sharing is caring:
“The goal of such toil [learning] is “to learn in order to teach.” - Rebbe.
So, it’s harvest time.
What you can expect
A bi-weekly (that’s every other week) newsletter that summarizes learnings and reflections from the week.
Robust, progressively summarized notes like this one from Ultralearning by Scott Young
Can I ask you to sign up and keep me honest? Can I ask for your feedback?
In the meantime, don’t tell your friends unless you think they’ll find it valuable.