Why you forget what you read... and how to fix it

Summary

The video script emphasizes the transformative impact of taking 'quick notes' on one's creative work. The speaker introduces a 90-day notes challenge, advocating for the creation of smart, unique, and contextual notes that form part of an individual's knowledge base. These 'quick notes' serve as a second brain, enhancing productivity by providing a wealth of pre-written content and ideas. The process of note-taking is likened to a treasure hunt, with each note acting as a building block for content creation. The speaker shares their personal experience of using these notes for podcast episodes, highlighting how the practice distributes creativity over time, reducing the stress associated with creating content from scratch. The script concludes with an invitation to learn more about this note-taking process through the speaker's guided course, 'Productivity Power Up,' which covers principles applicable to a wide range of professions.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker started a 90-day notes challenge to enhance creativity and productivity.
• 📝 The notes are referred to as 'quick notes' or 'smart notes', which are unique, contextual, and part of one's own knowledge base.
• 🔍 Traditional notes are often fleeting and lack the context needed for effective recall, unlike the 'quick notes'.
• 💡 Note-taking serves as a 'second brain', aiding in the organization of ideas and concepts for future content creation.
• 🧩 Creating 'quick notes' daily acts as building blocks or 'legos' of content, facilitating an ongoing content creation process.
• 🗂️ The speaker organizes notes with connections, references, and keywords to form interconnected thoughts and ideas.
• 📖 Reading becomes more engaging and slower due to the note-taking process, but it results in a valuable collection of connected notes.
• 🔑 Keywords on the back of each note card are crucial for creating clusters that help in finding related notes easily.
• 🎯 The process of note-taking helps distribute creative work, reducing the stress of 'creator's block' and the pressure of constrained creativity.
• 🚀 This method of note-taking allows for a more distributed and less pressured approach to content creation, acting as a curator of one's own creativity.
• 🌟 The habit of consistent note-taking nurtures a stress-free environment for creativity and productivity.

Q & A

What is the purpose of creating over 100 handwritten notes on index cards according to the video?

The purpose is to make creative work easier and more fun by creating 'quick notes' or 'smart notes' that serve as a personal knowledge base and building blocks for content creation.

What is the challenge the speaker started at the beginning of October 2020?

The speaker started a '90-day notes challenge' to create quality notes that would enhance their creative work and productivity.

What does the speaker refer to as a 'quick note'?

A 'quick note' is defined as a note that is quality, unique, individual, contextual, and part of one's own knowledge base.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of returning to notes with context?

Returning to notes with context is important because it helps in remembering why the information was significant in the first place, which is crucial for creative work.

How does the speaker describe the process of creating content with note cards?

The speaker describes it as a treasure hunt for the mind, where one connects the dots of different ideas using note cards, making the creative process more distributed and less stressful.

What organizational data does the speaker put on the note cards?

The speaker puts the note itself on the front of the card, connections and references on the back, along with the creation date, a reference number, and associated keywords.

Why are keywords important in the note-taking process described by the speaker?

Keywords are important because they help in creating keyword clusters or note card clusters, which assist in finding related cards and organizing thoughts effectively.

How does the speaker suggest organizing the note cards as they accumulate?

The speaker suggests that organizing the note cards is easy and fun, and it involves sorting through them like a treasure hunt, which aids in the creative process.

What is the benefit of taking quick notes according to the speaker's experience?

The benefit is that it makes content creation easier by providing a second brain of ideas, concepts, and pre-written notes that can be used to create any type of content.

How does the speaker use the note cards for podcast episodes?

The speaker uses the note cards by going through them with a general idea in mind, pulling out related cards that connect together for that idea, and treating the exploration like a treasure hunt to create a unique content stack for the podcast.

What is the 'Productivity Power Up' course mentioned by the speaker?

The 'Productivity Power Up' is a guided four-week course that covers every element and principle of productivity to help individuals in their creative work or any other field of work.