Everything Starts with a Note-taking System

Summary

In this introductory video, Misha, a DevOps engineer and Microsoft MVP, emphasizes the importance of a robust note-taking system for processing information effectively. Misha shares their journey from a nursing assistant to a tech professional, highlighting how a well-organized note-taking system supercharged their productivity, enabling them to achieve milestones rapidly. The video promises a series of tutorials on Linux, DevOps, and Kubernetes, with an initial focus on establishing a foundational note-taking system to enhance learning, creation, and referencing capabilities.

Takeaways

• 📚 Misha, a devops engineer and Microsoft MVP, is launching a channel focused on tutorials about Linux, devops, and kubernetes.
• 💡 Before diving into technical content, Misha emphasizes the importance of a proper note-taking system for processing information effectively.
• 🏆 Misha's success in a career shift to tech, including winning the MVP award and obtaining certifications, was underpinned by a good note-taking system.
• 🔄 Misha's productivity system is based on maximizing output within a given timeframe, with note-taking being the foundation.
• 🚀 Misha's career change from nursing to tech was driven by a passion for computers and the determination to gain more knowledge in the field.
• 📈 Misha found that learning about productivity techniques and note-taking systems made their tech studies more efficient.
• 🗂️ A common pattern among successful productivity YouTubers is a well-organized note-taking system.
• 🧠 Misha believes that writing notes in one's own words facilitates understanding and retention of information.
• 📝 Notes serve multiple purposes: fostering understanding, creating content, and providing quick reference for future use.
• 💡 Misha suggests that having a structured note-taking system can lead to being perceived as a senior engineer due to the ability to retrieve information quickly.
• 📈 Misha's system is based on two principles: input (consuming content) and output (creating content from notes).

Q & A

What is the main focus of Misha's channel?

Misha's channel focuses on tutorials related to Linux, DevOps, and Kubernetes.

Why does Misha emphasize the importance of a proper note-taking system?

Misha emphasizes the importance of a proper note-taking system as it is the cornerstone of productivity and has been instrumental in achieving personal and professional milestones.

How did Misha transition from a nursing assistant to a DevOps engineer?

Misha transitioned by making it their life's mission to get a career in tech, studying Linux and computers in their free time, and eventually gaining professional experience and recognition in the field.

What role did productivity techniques play in Misha's career development?

Productivity techniques played a significant role in Misha's career development by making their tech studies more efficient and helping them to achieve multiple certifications and grow their online presence while working full-time.

What is the significance of being intentional with note-taking according to Misha?

Being intentional with note-taking is significant because it helps in structuring and organizing information, making it easier to find and use the notes effectively in the future.

How does Misha describe the process of note-taking in terms of understanding and retention?

Misha describes note-taking as a process that facilitates understanding by forcing one to put technical concepts into their own words, which helps in retention and recall.

What are the three main benefits of note-taking according to the script?

The three main benefits of note-taking are fostering understanding, creating content such as blog posts and videos, and providing a quick reference for information retrieval.

How does Misha use their note-taking system to generate content for their YouTube channel?

Misha uses their note-taking system to find inspiration for blog posts and videos by going through their notes and selecting ideas that they have previously noted down.

What does Misha suggest as a method to make learning more efficient?

Misha suggests learning good study techniques and having a good note-taking system as methods to make learning more efficient.

What is the metaphor Misha uses to remember the concept of Linux containers?

Misha uses the metaphor of newspapers to remember the concept of Linux containers, highlighting their fleeting and less durable nature compared to books.

What does Misha recommend for those eager to start building their own note-taking system?

Misha recommends looking at their Udemy courses, particularly 'Obsidian Quick Start: Full Note-Taking System in 1 Hour' or joining their school community for a more comprehensive and supportive experience.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Importance of a Note-Taking System

Misha, a DevOps engineer and Microsoft MVP, introduces the video series on note-taking, emphasizing its role in information processing. Misha shares their journey from nursing to tech and the pivotal role that a structured note-taking system played in achieving professional milestones. The summary of this paragraph highlights the necessity of a good note-taking system for productivity, learning efficiency, and career advancement.

05:01

🔍 Organizing Scattered Notes for Better Understanding

This paragraph discusses the common issue of having disorganized notes scattered across various platforms, which hinders the ability to revisit and utilize them effectively. Misha points out the lack of intentionality in traditional note-taking practices and the need for a structured system to improve understanding and retention. The summary underlines the importance of creating a coherent note-taking system to facilitate future reference and application of knowledge.

10:04

🎯 The Power of Note-Taking for Content Creation and Reference

Misha explains how a comprehensive note-taking system can serve as a foundation for content creation and quick reference. With personal anecdotes, they illustrate how notes can inspire new content and provide rapid access to information, which is crucial for professional growth. The summary emphasizes the benefits of a well-organized note-taking system for generating ideas, creating content, and efficiently retrieving information.

15:04

✍️ Writing as a Catalyst for Clear Thinking and Understanding

In this paragraph, Misha explores the connection between writing and understanding, suggesting that the ability to write clearly about a topic is indicative of true comprehension. They advocate for the practice of writing as a means to process and produce output, such as blog posts and emails, based on the input gained through note-taking. The summary reinforces the idea that writing is an essential skill for clear thinking and effective communication.

20:06

🏭 Becoming a 'Knowledge Factory' with a Note-Taking System

Misha introduces the concept of viewing oneself as a 'knowledge factory,' where input from various sources is processed and transformed into output, such as social media content and professional communication. They discuss the importance of an online presence and the role of a note-taking system in facilitating this. The summary highlights the transformation of consumed content into valuable output through a structured note-taking approach.

🚀 Accessing Comprehensive Note-Taking Resources and Community

The final paragraph focuses on the resources available for those eager to improve their note-taking systems, including Udemy courses and a supportive community. Misha invites viewers to join their school community for access to courses, discussions, and direct interaction with experienced engineers. The summary provides an overview of the available resources and the benefits of joining a community focused on note-taking and professional development.

Keywords

💡Note-taking system

A note-taking system is a methodical approach to organizing and storing information. In the video, it is presented as the cornerstone of the speaker's success, allowing them to achieve milestones in record time. The speaker emphasizes that a good note-taking system is essential for processing information efficiently, which is crucial for learning and productivity.

💡DevOps

DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development and IT operations to shorten the systems development life cycle and provide continuous delivery of value to end users. The speaker, a DevOps engineer and Microsoft MVP, focuses on this field, and the channel is dedicated to tutorials on DevOps, Linux, and Kubernetes, illustrating the importance of DevOps in modern tech practices.

💡Productivity

Productivity in this context refers to the efficiency of generating output within a given timeframe. The speaker discusses the importance of learning productivity techniques to maximize output, which includes having a note-taking system as part of a broader productivity system, highlighting the role of productivity in achieving professional goals.

💡MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional)

MVP is a title awarded by Microsoft to exceptional community leaders who actively engage with the technical community and provide feedback to Microsoft. The speaker mentions being a Microsoft MVP as part of their career achievements, showcasing the recognition of their expertise in the tech industry.

💡Certifications

Certifications are credentials that verify an individual's skills and knowledge in a particular area. The speaker mentions obtaining multiple hard certifications as part of their professional development, emphasizing the value of formal qualifications in the tech industry.

💡Scripting

Scripting refers to writing scripts, which are programs or pieces of code used to automate tasks. The speaker mentions having a decade of experience in scripting, coding, and automating video games, which demonstrates their foundational skills that contributed to their career shift into the tech industry.

💡Information processing

Information processing involves the management and manipulation of data to produce meaningful information. The speaker discusses the need for an efficient system to process the vast amount of information encountered in their tech studies, underlining the importance of a structured approach to learning and knowledge retention.

💡Intentionality

Intentionality in the context of the video refers to the deliberate and purposeful action of note-taking. The speaker argues for becoming intentional about note-taking to ensure that the notes are structured and useful for future reference, which is a key aspect of an effective note-taking system.

💡Containers (Linux containers)

Linux containers are a lightweight, standalone, executable software package that includes everything needed to run a piece of software, including the code and libraries it needs. The speaker uses the metaphor of newspapers to explain the concept of containers, illustrating how note-taking can facilitate understanding of complex technical topics.

💡Second brain

A second brain is a concept where one uses tools and systems to offload cognitive tasks from the mind, allowing for better focus and productivity. The speaker mentions productivity YouTubers who use second brain systems, like those in Notion, to manage their information, indicating the influence of these systems on the speaker's own approach to note-taking.

💡Input and output

In the context of the video, input refers to the consumption of content, while output refers to the creation of new content based on that input. The speaker's note-taking system is described as a factory that processes input (like articles and videos) to produce output (like blog posts and videos), demonstrating the cyclical nature of learning and creation.

Highlights

Introduction to a new video playlist focused on note-taking for enhancing productivity in the tech industry.

Emphasis on the importance of a proper note-taking system as the cornerstone of success in various professional milestones.

Personal story of a career shift to tech and the role of note-taking in achieving recognition and certifications.

The significance of productivity and how a note-taking system forms the basis of an effective productivity system.

Inspiration from productivity YouTubers and the realization of the common thread of well-organized note-taking systems.

The transformative impact of learning study techniques and a good note-taking system on personal productivity.

Description of a common disorganized note-taking scenario and the need for a more intentional approach.

The argument that note-taking fosters understanding and facilitates learning through the process of writing in one's own words.

How a well-structured note-taking system can serve as a creative tool for generating content like blog posts and videos.

The role of note-taking as a reference tool for quick retrieval of information, enhancing one's professional credibility.

The philosophy that if one can't write about a topic, they don't understand it, linking clear thinking with clear writing.

The concept of viewing oneself as a 'factory' that processes input to create output, such as content creation and communication.

The importance of writing as a practice for clear thinking and the proposal to take notes on everything to improve writing skills.

An overview of upcoming videos diving deeper into note-taking systems, tools, and methods.

Promotion of Udemy courses and a school community for those eager to start building their note-taking system immediately.

Invitation to join a supportive community with access to courses, resources, and direct Q&A sessions with experienced engineers.

Conclusion and anticipation for the next video in the series, emphasizing the value of a structured note-taking system.

Transcripts

hello there my name is Misha I'm a

devops engineer and Microsoft MVP and

welcome to this first video to the

playlist about note

taking this channel is going to be all

full of tutorials on Linux devops

kubernetes all of that but before we get

into all of that information I think

it's actually important that I teach you

how to actually process that information

and that's why we should start with

having a proper not taking system in

order so the title of this video is

everything starts with a not taking

system and that's not a

coincidence everything starts with a

good note taking

system my notes are the Cornerstone of

My

Success and they allowed me to achieve

these milestones in record time I

changed my career to devops and became a

recog Iz specialist by winning the MVP

award in devops engineering

infrastructure as

code uh it allowed me to write over 200

blog posts on my

website grow a YouTube channel to 10K

subscribers obtain multiple very hard

certifications all while working a

full-time job and all of this was

achieved in the span of three three and

a half

years so

productivity the maximizing the amount

of output you can generate in the amount

of time that you have is a super

important skill to

learn and the basis of a not taking of a

productivity system is a not taking

system so three years ago I made my

career shift to the tech industry I I I

I were at the time I was a nursing

assistant and but I I studied at

University and I was working in

management for a while but then for a

few years but I was always tinkering

with computers in my free time so then I

wanted to make that into my job so I I

made several attempts and I failed

several times but then I actually went

all in on it and I uh I made it my life

life's mission to get a career in Tech

and when I made that my life's Mission I

I know I I knew I was going all in I had

found my passion and I was prepared to

do anything to make it come

true

now as I said I was always tinkering

with Linux and computers in my free time

and I had like almost a decade of

experience of like scripting coding

automating video games and all of that

but I didn't have any professional

experience in in

it so I had a lot of knowledge but I

also knew that I had

to like gain even more knowledge right

there was so much that I needed to read

so many certifications I needed to get

so much um so much to do in so little

time and I also needed to make an income

while I was doing it right so I needed

to make look for ways to make learning

as efficient as

possible and during this research I came

across productivity YouTubers like Ali

abdal and Thiago

Forte these guys with their second brain

systems and notion and and time

management techniques and it's actually

really cool it's really cool that all of

this information is out there now on the

other hand it's also a lot of

information like there's too much

productivity YouTube and I'm trying to

distill all of that down for you so I

noticed one pattern that all of these

guys had and that it was a they all had

a well organized not taking

system so I knew what I needed to do I I

read all of the books I read their books

I bought them I read the books I watched

the videos I took courses I went really

deep into this rabbit hole and you might

say well if you want to go into Tech why

why weren't you studying Tech well

that's a very valid point but I was

studying these things because it would

make my tech studies much more efficient

and that has proven to be correct that

that learning a good study techniques

having a good notetaking system has

supercharge my productivity and allowed

me allows me to do all of everything

that I do

but I so I have zero regrets spending

that time but you don't have to spend

that time I did that for you and I'm

giving you everything I've

learned so before I started and it's

very likely that you're starting out

like this too you probably have like a

Google Drive and on that drive there's

going to be tons of

folders and in those folders there's

going to be a few notes or a few

documents like Google Docs

and they all have names and it's just

scattered all over the place and then on

your computer you are going to have like

a uh you you're going to have a

documents folder so here's this

documents in there and in the documents

folder there might be a folder with

studies and there might be a folder with

uh I don't know your some something

about your personal interests so now you

have something in Google Docs and now

you have something on your laptop and

then maybe on an old laptop you have

like even more like when you were

studying College you took all these

notes and all these notes are studying

are stored in an old laptop it's very

likely that you just like me all of your

notes are scattered everywhere there's

no sort of system behind it and there's

no intention behind it that's also very

important like becoming intentional

about your note taking because we all

take these lectures in college we all

sit there we randomly write stuff down

and we read it when we have the test but

we don't actually put a lot of thought

into what we write down and how it's

going to benefit us in the future and

it's really weird that this skill is not

not not taught in schools right like we

are expected to take notes but nobody

tells us how to actually do

it so you probably have this scattered

system and you probably never revisit

these notes you never use these notes

notes and why not well because there is

no structure in place that makes it easy

to find these notes you need structure

you need intentionality you need to have

a system to

this

and it's so important to do this with

intention with a clear plan because if

you don't it's you're just going to have

a proliferation of notes that you don't

know what to do with and that's probably

what you already have now so why take

notes in the first place why would we

take notes well first of all not taking

Fosters

understanding through

writing no taking Fosters understanding

facilitates understanding through

writing when you take notes in a proper

way then you do it in your own words so

you take a technical concept like a um

like a container

right a Linux container like if you

don't know what that is then we'll get

into that but when I was studying

containers i i i the way I remembered

containers

was containers are like

newspapers like you have these you you

can have books or you have newspapers

books are written with great care they

have very thick covers they are very

durable and suitable whereas newspapers

they are written once they have very

thin paper and when they get wet they

expire right so they are fleeting and

that is how I this is how I remembered

containers and I still remember it I can

speak to you eloquently about containers

with that metaphor because when I was

studying stud in containers 3 years ago

I wrote a note that containers are like

a

newspaper and this is how writing can

facilitate understanding because you if

you force yourself to put things into

your own words a process of translation

takes place almost as if you're

translating it to a different language

you're hooking it to your own sort of

hooks that you have in your mind like

everybody has their own hooks in the

mind everybody has their own

experiences previous experiences

everybody has their own um Adventures

stories things you've read games you've

played and you can connect all of these

things to your unique little things and

then use that to explain the technique

for yourself in writing and when you do

that then you're going to

remember so that is one reason to take

notes it it facilitates understanding

secondly notes can be create used to

create if you have a big note taking

system like I have like I have over

3,000 notes in my system whenever I want

to write a blog post I just go through

my notetaking system and see if there's

anything cool that I noted down a month

ago and that inspires me to create a

video or that inspires me to create a

blog

post like I never never sit here and

think what should I make a video about

better yet I have a backlog of over a

100 ideas in my YouTube

conon where I have listed down all of

these ideas that already are written out

in the notes that I have in my system so

every time I create I just sit down pick

up the notes that I have already before

stitch them together and create

something new out of it

and finally there is

reference reference what do I mean by

that reference means the ability to look

up information and refer to it so if you

have a well organized system that has a

good structure to it and that you can

use search on then you are able to store

and retrieve information super quick so

when I was a junior

engineer I joined the team and I took

notes on everything everything the the

the seniors were teaching me things I

wrote them down and then I had that in

my system well the funny thing was like

when we were doing new projects I was

always documenting them in my own system

and also in in the proper documentation

system but then the seniors very quickly

figured out that I always had it saved

in my system so very quickly they

started asking me questions about hey

Misha how did we set that up the other

day or how did we fix that problem well

I always wrote everything down so it

took me two seconds of searching and

because I had a system in place that

facilitates that I had the answer within

5 Seconds well fast forward a couple of

months then there the team would have

meetings where the Juniors were not

included because it was too advanced and

then had the meetings with the senior

engineers and the

managers and then the the senior

Engineers they were explaining some

project that they were doing and then

they thought they they didn't have some

information available and they said oh

wait wait we have to call in Misha Misha

knows it and then I was called in and

within a few seconds I had the

information well if a manager sees that

happening three times instantly you are

a senior engineer because you are being

dragged in into meetings because you

have the information and doesn't matter

what your years of experience are you

are going to be perceived as a senior

engineer because you're able to look to

have the information look it up and

explain it eloquently because you

understand it deeply because you wrote

about it in your own

system and because you are writing blog

posts about it in the evening by

creating so

recap writing notes properly facil

facilitates understanding they allow you

to create things blog

posts videos and they allow you to

reference things very efficiently and

quickly so to expand on this even

further this this writing right

so if I can't write about something then

I don't understand the topic

I don't understand the topic and let me

share another quote with

you clear thinking becomes clear

writing one can't exist without the

other William ziner

okay so I'm just going to take a sip of

coffee while you digest

that if I can't write about something I

don't understand the

topic

so as I was saying about these

containers right I I figured something

out my own meta for but if I'm studying

something and I'm unable to write about

it I'm unable to take not notes in my

own words it means I don't understand

the topic it means I need to dig further

into

it clear thinking becomes clear

writing one can't exist without the

other William inser so writing is

thinking on

paper writing is the basis of everything

writing is the basis of study of content

creation of eloquent communication

writing good emails writing writing

writing writing and guess what how do

you practice writing by writing by

writing a lot by writing a ton every day

and how can you write a ton every day by

taking notes on everything that you

do so my system is based around two

fundamental principles input and output

and let me open another drawing that I

did

Factory this is a drawing that I created

and I'm a horrible artist but at least

it it gets the point

across so you need to start seeing

yourself as a factory a factory that

takes

input like conversations blogs articles

YouTube videos books all of the content

you consume is input to your system goes

in this ear and then the factory is

processing it's processing all this

information writing it in your own words

it's putting it into its own categories

it's attaching it to the hooks that I

mentioned to you before and then you can

use

that input as output for other things

blog posts emails videos courses

social media

content and this is going to be a

separate video but one one of the

biggest hacks to stand out when you're

looking for a job is to have a social

media presence to have a proper online

presence there's a look at my substack

there is an article on there too uh

subscribe to the newsletter it will be

down below link down below but on there

you will find also an article about the

importance of your online presence and I

highly suggest you read that and if you

have a good not taking system this

allows you to generate this output to

have a Blog to have even videos or start

a YouTube channel to write on Twitter

every day because you just use the notes

that you write already you just post

them to Twitter and there you go so you

have to become a factory that takes

input processes it to create products of

some kind that's how you need to start

seeing yourself as you begin this

journey into

devops so in the next videos in the next

editions of the newsletter we are going

to dive into further um not taking

systems we're going to dive into all of

the tools that you can use we're going

to dive into the methods that you can

use with these tools and in this

playlist I'm going to explain everything

you need to know to start building your

own not taking

system but if you like this is going to

take a while for me to finish all these

videos and if you are eager to start

already then I highly recommend you take

a look at my udmi courses um here is my

course obsidian quick start full not

taking system in 1 hour this will

utilize the param method in obsidian and

with in one hour you have a fully

configured obsidian Vault that you can

start using to take notes already or if

you already are a little bit into the

rabbit hole of not taking and you know

what a ttle Casten is then I highly

recommend that you start take a look at

this settle Casas and course that I

created it is already receiving five

star ratings and it is like I am so

proud of this it's basically my life's

work I spent a lot of time and effort

into the research into the work of this

this course literally is over 2,000

hours of research and practice condensed

into two hours it's everything you need

to know about settle cast method and how

to take notes the links will be down

below if that is expect like buying

these courses is

expensive and for you can it's you get

much better value if you just join my

school Community which will also be

linked down below this is currently $30

a month and then you get unlimited

access to all of the courses that are

already here you get unlimited access to

the community where you can ask

questions about no taking systems uh

connect with others and there is like uh

18 Pages 540 Forum posts already about

not taking devops kubernetes everything

you need to know all the resources you

need to become a devops engineer are in

the community or going to be in the

community and there are many experienced

Engineers myself included you can ask

questions and here uh you see the

calendar every week we have two we have

three hourly one hour calls with me

directly where you can ask questions and

every day we have a study hall Where We

Gather to study our certifications and

take notes together so either take a

look at my udemy courses or buy a

one-month membership to my school

community and you get unlimited access

to everything and you can get a taste of

what it is like to be in a truly

supportive Community all right guys

thank you so much for watching I'll see

you in the next video