How To Take Smart Notes
How To Take Smart Notes
4/5
It is a useful resource for anyone who reads and wants to retain and use the information from what they read.
Students, researchers, and creatives of all sorts will benefit from reading this book or looking more into the idea of taking smart notes using a commonplace book.
The key takeaway from the book is that you should have an intelligent note-taking system that allows you to connect new ideas together and retrieve information when you need it.
This includes creating a workflow that you can stick to and formatting system for your notes and not changing it once it works.
The Perfect Day Formula
Craig Ballantyne is one of the ultimate mentors in the world of fitness. I’ve always been an underling of many of his mentees more than Craig himself, but his impact on the fitness world has resonated strongly within me.
The Perfect Day Formula is Craig’s take on how to accomplish more and make the most out of every single day on this planet, because you never know when your time might be up. Memento mori.
This short book is well worth the price of admission. It breaks down the perfect day into three steps:
Control. Conquer. Concentrate.
Control your mornings - plan the night before, have a routine, and avoid distractions like phone calls and emails.
Conquer your afternoon - Maintain discipline with deadlines and making sure that meetings are limited to what is essential.
Concentrate in the evening on what is important to you - family time, walking your dog, hobbies, and productive winding down for the night (not glued to the tv).
The Bullet Journal Method
I stumbled upon Bullet Journaling not too long ago which happened to be just in time for the Bullet Journal Method book to be released. Ryder Carrol, the creator of Bullet Journaling (fondly known as BuJo), is one of those thirty-something-year-olds who embodies the sage wisdom of an elder who has already lived a full life. I was captivated by the way he relates his journaling method to be more mindful and intentional with the tasks you do and your daily schedule. He explains it in a way that is a beautiful mix of zen and stoic, operating your notebook like an objective observer.
The Bullet Journal Method is a complete guide to how to put together your own Bullet Journal as well as a dive into the philosophy and science that ties journaling to practices of mindfulness. It is a very nice and fun to read book as it pulls in pages from actual Bullet Journals to showcase different components and examples which makes it feel like a field guide or perhaps like you are reading someone’s private journal. I liked it a lot. It was a fun read with a lot of good productivity advice as well as a very interesting take on mindfulness.
I’ve written previously about my thoughts on how the perfect productivity tool does not exist in an app and so when my timely discovery of BuJo came about I figured I would dive into the world of BuJo and see how it could benefit my organization. Bullet Journaling has been a simple, yet elegant solution to getting thoughts out of my head and onto paper as well as organizing my tasks. While many people seem to think that BuJo is life-changing or revolutionary, I’m fairly confident that anyone who has ever written things down before and kept a journal of their actions will find many similarities between the way they previously did things and Bullet Journaling but putting it altogether as a complete system does provide a lot more benefit to staying organized and intentional with your work.
Own The Day, Own Your Life
Rating: 5/5
To own your life begins with building the momentum that comes from owning a single day. Own The Day, Own Your Life is the perfect guidebook for optimizing your day through health, productivity, and well-being/relationships. I had listened to Aubrey Marcus on his and other’s podcasts before but never read any of his blog posts or other writing. I was impressed by his conversational yet polished writing style and his ability to be both motivational and humorous. This book reads like a how-to manual on getting through the day as a human being. From the first moment, you open your eyes to the last minute before you drift off to sleep at night, Own the Day has got you covered.
If you are already well-versed in the realm of self-improvement books or have a dedicated fitness regimen, much of what you read in Own the Day will be an overview (albeit, a well-written one) of things you likely already know. However, Aubrey is into some funky stuff when it comes to human optimization, so you’ll still learn a few things that will surprise you.
For anyone who doesn’t feel their life is in full control or is looking for a place to start for habits and routines that will improve your health and well-being, this is a great book to start with and will leave you motivated to achieve more.
The Power of Less
The Power of Less - Leo Babauta
At almost 10-years old now, The Power of Less set the stage for many of the books we see today that are about the magic of tidying up or life-changing impact simplifying has. It's a very simple and straight-forward read, which is why I think it's so great. There's a little bit of everything in it to help you accomplish more by not spreading yourself to thin.
From organizing your tasks, saying no to commitments, setting goals, getting in shape, and staying motivated - this book covers it all in simple terms and to the point.
Deep Work
Deep Work - Cal Newport
Deep Work is an important read in an age where distraction is the norm and we are rapidly approaching a time where most simple tasks and jobs will be taken over by AI. With these trends in the modern age, the necessity for intense, intellectual focus in the workplace is becoming more and more important.
With the new economy shift, the core abilities that will help individuals to thrive are the ability to quickly master hard things and produce work at an elite level both in terms of quality and speed. These factors necessitate what is called Deep Work.
Deep Work closely resembles and has much in common with achieving a flow state with your work. By putting intense effort into singular focus, one can accomplish much more high-quality work than those who allow themselves to be distracted by notifications and attempts to multitask.
The book is divided into two parts with the first addressing the thesis of why deep work will be so important for those who want to thrive in the new economy and the second part of the book offering practical methods for incorporating deep work into your own routine. This book is quite short, but excellent and packed with compelling information.