Stop Procrastinating With Note-Taking Apps Like Obsidian, Roam, Logseq
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the paradox of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), where the pursuit of an ideal system can lead to sophisticated procrastination. It critiques the allure of tools like Obsidian and Notion, which, while enhancing workflow for some, can be a distraction for others. The speaker suggests that feeling smart through PKM doesn't equate to actual productivity. The script offers five principles to avoid PKM-related procrastination, emphasizing the importance of sticking to one tool, trusting one's brain, being project-based, improving work capacity, and setting actionable limits.
Takeaways
- π§ Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is a term that has gained popularity with tools like Obsidian, Roam, and Notion, which allow for interconnected note-taking beyond traditional methods.
- π‘ PKM can be a double-edged sword, aiding in workflow efficiency for some while leading to sophisticated forms of procrastination for others.
- π Sophisticated procrastination involves activities that make one feel smart and productive without actually leading to tangible progress, such as over-planning or endless research.
- π The allure of PKM can lead to a false sense of accomplishment, as the act of taking notes and creating links can feel genius but may not equate to improved work output.
- π Many individuals fall into the 'optimization trap,' endlessly tweaking their PKM systems in pursuit of an unattainable perfect setup, which detracts from actual work.
- π The 'collector's fallacy' describes the behavior of accumulating notes, bookmarks, and resources without effectively using them to produce meaningful outcomes.
- π PKM should be viewed as an aid to work, not as work itself or a prerequisite for good work. It's crucial to focus on the actual tasks that lead to results.
- π§ To avoid PKM-related procrastination, adopt the principle of 'good enough,' settling for a system that serves its purpose without constant optimization.
- π Stick with one note-taking tool for at least six months to prevent the 'perfect tool' trap and allow for consistent work without the distraction of switching tools.
- π§ Trust your brain to process and retain information without the need to document every detail. Allow for organic insights to occur outside of structured note-taking.
- ποΈ Approach note-taking with a project-based mindset to maintain focus on relevant information and tangible outcomes, reducing the tendency to collect notes aimlessly.
- πͺ Prioritize improving work capacity and output over the structure of your PKM system, ensuring that note-taking aids rather than hinders productivity.
- β° Set actionable limits on the time spent on PKM system improvements to prevent it from becoming a form of procrastination and ensure it serves its purpose as an aid to work.
Q & A
What is Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)?
-Personal Knowledge Management is a term that has gained popularity in recent years, referring to the process of organizing and linking one's notes and ideas in a way that goes beyond traditional note-taking methods, such as using Word documents or pen and paper. It aims to build a 'second brain' to improve workflow and effectiveness.
How can PKM be considered a form of sophisticated procrastination?
-PKM can be seen as sophisticated procrastination because it involves activities that make one feel smart and productive without necessarily leading to actual work output. Examples include overly complex planning, endless research, and discussing ideas without taking action.
What is the 'collector's fallacy' mentioned in the script?
-The 'collector's fallacy' refers to the tendency of some individuals to gather and store information, such as notes, bookmarks, and PDFs, under the illusion that this act of collection will make them more effective or knowledgeable. However, it does not contribute to productive outcomes unless the collected information is used to create something tangible.
Why does the script suggest treating PKM as 'non-work'?
-Treating PKM as 'non-work' helps to set boundaries and prevents it from taking over one's schedule. It emphasizes that PKM is an aid to work, not a substitute for actual work, and should be intentionally limited to avoid procrastination.
What are the two traps that people fall into with personal knowledge management according to the script?
-The two traps are the 'optimization procrastination trap' and the 'perfect tool trap.' The former involves constant tweaking and chasing the perfect system, while the latter is the habit of switching between different note-taking tools in search of the ideal one.
What is the main principle for avoiding the 'optimization procrastination trap'?
-The main principle is to settle for 'good enough' with one's PKM system. This means accepting that no system is perfect and focusing on doing actual work rather than endlessly optimizing the system.
What is the advice given for sticking with a PKM tool?
-The advice is to stick with one tool for at least six months, resisting the temptation to switch to new tools that promise to solve all problems. This helps to avoid the 'perfect tool trap' and allows for consistent work output.
Why is it important to trust one's brain more in the context of PKM?
-Trusting one's brain is important because it encourages reliance on organic insights that come from consuming and thinking about information, rather than relying solely on structured note-taking systems. It acknowledges that the best ideas often come from moments away from the structured PKM environment.
What does being 'project-based' with note-taking mean?
-Being project-based with note-taking means focusing on notes and ideas that are directly relevant to a specific project or goal. This approach helps filter out irrelevant information, reduces the fear of missing out on data, and decreases the likelihood of procrastination by working towards a tangible outcome.
What is the final principle suggested for managing PKM-related procrastination?
-The final principle is to set actionable limits on the time and effort spent on PKM activities. This could involve dedicating specific times for improving the note-taking system or setting a maximum time limit for these activities to ensure they do not interfere with actual work.
Outlines
π§ The Paradox of Personal Knowledge Management
This paragraph discusses the concept of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and its potential as a sophisticated form of procrastination. It highlights how tools like Obsidian, Roam, and Notion have popularized the idea of creating a 'second brain' through linked notes, which can lead to increased productivity for some but also to a more subtle form of procrastination for others. The author emphasizes that while PKM can make one feel smart, it doesn't necessarily equate to doing smart work or making progress. Examples of such procrastination include over-planning, endless research, and discussing ideas without taking action. The paragraph concludes by urging a reevaluation of PKM's role in one's work process.
π The Elusive Perfection in Personal Knowledge Management
The second paragraph delves into the pitfalls of chasing perfection in PKM systems. It describes how individuals can become trapped in a cycle of constant optimization and tool-switching, under the false belief that the perfect system will lead to superhuman productivity. The author argues that this pursuit is futile because there is no perfect system, and good work inherently involves uncertainty and disorganization. The 'collector's fallacy' is also introduced, where the accumulation of notes and resources is mistaken for effectiveness, rather than the application of that information to produce tangible outcomes.
π οΈ Overcoming the Procrastination Trap in Personal Knowledge Management
This paragraph offers strategies to recognize and escape the sophisticated procrastination associated with PKM. It starts by establishing that PKM is not work but an aid to work, and that it should not be seen as a prerequisite for doing good work. The author provides analogies to fitness and writing to illustrate that the most important work is often the most straightforward and least glamorous. The paragraph also warns against the 'optimization procrastination trap' and the constant search for new tools, suggesting that settling for a 'good enough' system can significantly boost productivity and work output.
π Five Principles for Effective Personal Knowledge Management
The final paragraph presents five principles to prevent PKM from becoming a form of procrastination. These include sticking with one tool for an extended period, trusting one's own brain over excessive note-taking, adopting a project-based approach to note-taking, focusing on improving work capacity before system structuring, and setting actionable limits on the time spent on PKM. The author emphasizes that the ultimate goal of PKM should be to enhance work output, and if it detracts from this, it is not serving its purpose. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to reflect on their PKM practices and align them with their work goals.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Personal Knowledge Management
π‘Sophisticated Procrastination
π‘Second Brain
π‘Good Enough
π‘Collector's Fallacy
π‘Actionable Principles
π‘Project-Based Note-Taking
π‘Work Capacity
π‘Actionable Limits
π‘Perfect Tool Procrastination Trap
Highlights
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) has gained popularity with tools like Obsidian, Roam, and Notion, allowing users to link notes and build a 'second brain'.
PKM can lead to sophisticated procrastination, where activities feel productive but do not contribute to actual work.
Examples of sophisticated procrastination include overly complex planning and endless research without taking action.
PKM can make users feel smart but does not necessarily lead to smarter work or increased productivity.
Many people chase an elusive 'click' of perfect productivity with PKM, which does not exist due to the lack of a perfect system.
The 'collector's fallacy' traps people into thinking that collecting notes and information equates to effectiveness.
PKM should be an aid to work, not a prerequisite or substitute for actual work output.
Understanding that PKM is not work can help limit its scope and prevent it from taking over one's schedule.
The speaker shares personal experiences with PKM tools, illustrating the pitfalls of constantly seeking the perfect system.
The 'optimization procrastination trap' leads to constant tool-switching and system-tweaking without real work being done.
Accepting 'good enough' in PKM systems can significantly boost productivity and work output.
Successful individuals have accomplished great work without relying on complex PKM systems.
Five actionable principles are introduced to prevent PKM from becoming a form of procrastination.
Principle one: Stick with one PKM tool for at least six months to avoid the 'perfect tool' trap.
Principle two: Trust your brain more and rely less on the 'second brain' for insights and ideas.
Principle three: Take project-based notes to filter out irrelevant information and focus on tangible outcomes.
Principle four: Improve work capacity and output before optimizing the PKM system structure.
Principle five: Set actionable limits on PKM system improvements to prevent it from becoming a distraction.
The ultimate test of a PKM system's value is its impact on work output quantity and quality over time.
Transcripts
there are people out there who don't
even know what personal Knowledge
Management means and they're doing work
that you want to do better than you
because they're not procrastinating and
they're not trying to get things perfect
and all optimized first
so personal Knowledge Management is a
term that's kind of blown up over the
last few years with tools like obsidian
Rome log sick notion and a bunch of
others this idea that you can link for
together that you can take notes in a
way that's not just standard Word
documents or you know pen and paper but
actually build a second brain so to
speak for some it's been an incredible
opportunity to speed up their workflow
and to get more work done and be more
effective at what they do but for many
it's just resulted in another way to
procrastinate but it's a sophisticated
form of procrastination it's not obvious
see obvious procrastination is things
that we know we shouldn't be doing
watching Netflix when we should be
working on that essay that there's a
close deadline for or playing video
games when we should be emailing the
client that we need to follow up with
this type of procrastination doesn't
feel good we usually feel guilty when
we're engaging in it
but sophisticated procrastination is
different it's activity that makes us
feel smart it makes us feel like we're
making progress but we're not some
examples of sophisticated
procrastination include things like
overly complex planning Beyond what's
necessary instead of actually just
starting what you need to do endlessly
researching reading books Beyond what's
necessary or talking to people about
your ideas about your plans without ever
really taking action these are all
things that make us feel like we're
making progress but we're not and in
that category for a lot of people is
personal Knowledge Management two here's
why first of all personal Knowledge
Management makes you feel smart the
first time I use drone research and
played around with bi-directional
linking I thought I'd found the meaning
to life I thought this will change
everything and as I added notes and
added these bi-directional links between
turns and Concepts and words I felt like
a genius I even looked down upon people
who are still using peasant tools like
Evernote and Apple notes that didn't
have this functionality but it didn't
take me long to realize that I actually
wasn't doing better work and that just
because I felt smart it didn't mean I
was being smart or becoming smarter the
takeaway here before we move on is that
creating complex systems for note-taking
makes you feel smart feeling smart is a
good feeling
but just because it's a good feeling it
doesn't mean that we're doing good work
or even doing work at all now the other
reason why personal Knowledge Management
again for many people not everyone I'm
not saying personal Knowledge Management
is bad I'm just saying for most people
they don't use it properly another
reason why it's a sophisticated form of
procrastination is because it's chasing
the elusive what do I mean by this so
many personal Knowledge Management
addicts are on a hamster wheel they're
chasing something that they'll never
reach they think that if they just
optimize a little more make a few tweaks
to their system or download that new
note taken app that has these fancy new
features that everything will finally
click and they'll experience superhuman
productivity
but this never happens the click that
they're chasing and it might be what
you're chasing doesn't exist it's
Elusive and it doesn't exist because
there's no perfect system and also doing
good work almost always involves
uncertainty frustration confusion and
disorganization trying to eliminate
these elements is futile and it's a
robust exercise and procrastination you
need to learn and you need to know how
to make progress despite the mess now
another reason why personal Knowledge
Management is a form of procrastination
is What's called the collector's Galaxy
so collecting notes bookmarks PDFs
highlights and impulse buying Kindle
books doesn't make us more effective it
doesn't make you more effective it
doesn't help you do better work and it
doesn't move you towards productive
outcomes it's only when you use that
information in a way to tangibly produce
something whether it's a book an article
a YouTube video or something else
entirely and there's a good quote from
Sasha at
zitocarston.de and he writes about this
there's a tendency in all of us to
gather useful stuff and feel good about
it
to collect is a reward in itself as
knowledge workers we're inclined to look
for the next groundbreaking thought for
intellectual stimulation we pile up
promising books and articles and we
store half the internet as bookmarks
just so we get the feeling of being on
The Cutting Edge
that feeling of being on The Cutting
Edge means nothing
it means nothing if you're not actually
producing Cutting Edge work as a result
of your note-taking efforts so we've
established that personal Knowledge
Management as a form of procrastination
it's a very sophisticated one so how do
we both recognize that a we're in this
form of procrastination because a lot of
people don't realize what they're doing
and secondly how do we get ourselves out
of it well we need to start by
understanding that personal Knowledge
Management is not work
it is not work and it's also not a
prerequisite to work and if you believe
that it is then you're going to run into
issues you can argue that personal
Knowledge Management or note-taking is
work right but it will be more
beneficial to you if you don't and that
if you categorize it as non-work even if
technically it is when you treat
personal Knowledge Management as work
you give it free running to take up as
much of your schedule as possible you
can procrastinate and absolve yourself
of all guilt because at the end of the
day you're doing work but when you treat
it as non-work you intentionally limit
it you realize that at age your work but
at the end of the day it is not the work
that matters most for example the person
who wants to build muscle knows that the
work that matters most is getting to the
gym lifting weights and eating well
finding an optimal workout routine May
Aid the progress but it is not the work
that matters alone it's not going to do
anything likewise the aspiring an author
who wants to write a book knows that the
work that matters most is right in every
day putting in that work putting words
on paper
note taking research you know planning
is going to Aid in that process but it's
not the work that matters ultimately
it's not the work that matters most it's
just an aid and so you shouldn't avoid
personal Knowledge Management but you
need to understand that it is an aid to
the work that you're ultimately trying
to do instead of something in and of
itself the writer who has an established
note-taking and research process will be
far more effective than the writer who
doesn't but the consistent writer who
doesn't have any complicated form of
personal Knowledge Management System
will absolutely crush the writer who
can't sit down and do the work because
they keep procrastinating taking notes
to bolster this you have to understand
that personal Knowledge Management is
not a prerequisite to doing good work
it's only an aid Knowledge Management is
beneficial putting this video together
without existing notes that I've put in
obsidian and structured it all or it
would take twice as long and it wouldn't
be as good
but there are some things that you can
only learn by doing the person who's
writing an article or an essay uncovers
insights while they're writing it things
that come into their head that wouldn't
have come into the head if they were
just taking notes
the entrepreneur who's building a
business comes across Solutions and
ideas that he couldn't come across
during the planning phase but it can
only come through action and so if you
view personal Knowledge Management as a
prerequisite to doing good work even on
a subconscious level then you'll spend
all your time theorizing thinking and
planning without ever doing it now I
know what you're thinking well No One
Believes that it's a prerequisites are
doing good work and you're right no
one's going to say that no one's going
to admit to that but the thing is people
act like it is a prerequisite now before
we get to the five actionable principles
I want to share two traps that people
fall into when it comes to personal
Knowledge Management the first is what I
call the optimization procrastination
trap
many people fall in to this track
they have a misguided desire to create
the perfect system
and this manifests itself in two ways
first of all they constantly switch to
new tools they download the new app they
chase shiny objects and they think that
some new software that's just come out
or some features that have been released
are going to fundamentally fix
everything and change everything for
them which is a fallacy and it's not
going to happen and the second way it
manifests itself is in constant
optimization beyond the point of
necessity right beyond the point of
diminishing returns so they might use
something like motion or obsidian and
they find themselves constantly making
tweaks to their system watching YouTube
tutorials on how to do things a certain
way or do things in a more complex way
that feels better to them and makes them
feel smart but doesn't help them do
better work the truth is you will never
have the perfect system every software
every note taking app has good features
and flaws and there'll always be another
app that does something better than your
app but also has other drawbacks the
mental switch you need to make here is
that if you suffer from this
optimization procrastination trap then
settle in for good enough is one of the
best things you can do for your
productivity and your work output
because the person who gets their system
to good enough ends up doing real work
and improves their craft much sooner and
faster than the person who's endlessly
optimizing this system trying to get it
perfect an example of this is a good
friend of mine who's an entrepreneur he
scaled his business extremely quickly he
uses this messy combination of Evernote
and Microsoft Word docs that when I see
it it makes me cringe because it looks
so messy and disorganized
but he crushes it and he does the work
and I have another friend who just uses
pen and paper like they don't have any
digital note-taking system at all really
and they also crush it so there are
people out there who don't even know
what personal Knowledge Management means
and they're doing work that you want to
do better than you because they're not
procrastinating and they're not trying
to get things perfect and all optimized
first so get your system to good enough
and then use your system don't try to
optimize it further when you do this
it's just another form of
procrastination another trap that's
similar to this is the perfect tool
procrastination trap so personal
Knowledge Management addicts switch to
us all the time I've mentioned this if
you browse any subreddit like obsidian
or Rome or log set you'll see an array
of posts from people talking about why
they switched from motion or obsidian to
this new tool and the pros and cons and
so on and so on and so on and this is a
trap that I find all into time and time
again I started off with Evernote I
moved to Rome and then to obsidian and
Bachelor I'm an intercraft and I played
with heptabase before finally landed on
obsidian after a brief stint with mem
dot AI if I'd avoided jumping around
like this I would have got so much more
work done when I look back there were
hours and hours of time just spent my
grading and setting things up and
feeling smart about it it was a waste of
time if you're jumping around from toe
to tall you're really chasing that
elusive click that we talked about
earlier that doesn't exist so this is
just another form of procrastination you
need to understand that there's no tool
out there that's going to enable you to
do amazing work if you can't sit down
and just do the work regardless so now
that we've established all that how do
we move forward how do we stop ourselves
from being these personal Knowledge
Management procrastinators well there
are five principles that I think you
should adopt the first one is to stick
with one tool for the next six months
minimum you need to escape this perfect
tool trick that I just talked about and
unless you can make an extremely robust
argument for why you need to switch to
another tool and I bet you can't then
all you're doing is procrastinating
you're looking for a shiny object you're
looking for that thing to give you a
dopamine hit and to make you feel like
you're smart
to combat this you need to stick with
one tool
ideally the one that you're already
using so you don't need to migrate and
spend time doing that stick with it for
the next six months minimum and be
warned during this time there is a high
chance that you will see some new
note-taking app pop up on the internet
and you'll think I need that that looks
good that will solve all my problems
that's got a feature that I need don't
do it stick with your current tool and
do the work because if you don't you'll
fall back into this cycle again and
you'll just procrastinate one thing that
helped me break out of this cycle of
just switch in from app to app was to
remember that people have done great
things and great work without these
complex systems right like there's
authors in the past that wrote books in
prison without access to obsidian or bro
more the next new thing you don't need
these complex systems to do good work
they can help but you have more than you
need to do great work these features and
apps are announcements they're not
Necessities the second principle is to
trust your brain more so I'm all about
this idea of building a second brain
which has become a little bit of a buzz
phrase but I think it's good but a
second brain is not a replacement for
your actual brain many personal
knowledgement addicts take notes on
everything they consume but don't leave
any room for actual thinking work
you need to trust that as you consume
information and as you think through
things that insights will come to you
organically
and not necessarily when you're inside
your note-taking system for me the best
ideas always come when I'm out doing
something when I'm walking when I'm
sitting down having a coffee and you
know looking at the Sunrise when I'm
away from my computer away from my phone
there hardly is a result of structured
note-taking so you need to trust your
first brain that you will have insights
come to you as you do work and as you
consume information as long as it's good
information another way to interpret
this principle is to just relax
I know that you think you have to take
notes and everything there's obviously
this fear of missing out on information
uh but that's an irrational fear good
ideas will come to you if you're
consuming the right information the
third principle is to be Project based
with your note-taking what do I mean by
this well taking notes for the sake of
taking notices textbook procrastination
a better strategy is to be Project based
so choose a project that you want to
work on maybe it's a book maybe it's a a
product a digital product maybe it's a
YouTube video
take notes around it link Concepts and
ideas and thoughts
but you can use bi-directional links if
you want
link it around your project leverage the
tools available to you
as you take this approach you'll notice
a few things first you'll notice that
you naturally filter out irrelevant
information that would otherwise clutter
your note-taking system second this fear
of missing out on information it
subsides right you more or less know
what you need to take notes on and what
you're looking for and you can safely
ignore the rest because it's not
relevant to your project and the other
thing you'll notice is that you will
likely procrastinate less because you're
working towards a tangible outcome
instead of just taking notes for the
sake of taking notes which is an endless
sort of task principle number four is to
improve your work capacity and output
before you start thinking about how to
structure your note-taking system if you
spend more time structuring your
note-taking system your personal
Knowledge Management System then doing
actual work then you're procrastinating
most note-taking systems have amazing
search functionality you can find what
you're looking for when you need it
because of this you don't need as much
structure as you think
develop the habit of doing the work
first even with the perfect structure
once you have this momentum and once you
can sit down for three to four hours
straight and do the work then start
making some optimizations but only then
and the fifth and final principle is to
set yourself some actionable limits so
if you are a chronic procrastinator in
this space then it's worth seeing some
boundaries it might be something like
I'll only work on my note-taking system
on not in I'll only work on my note
taking system and try and improve it for
30 minutes per day maximum or two hours
on a Saturday morning Max and I won't
touch it other than using it for work
outside of those hours right another
helpful thing is to set up a process for
note taking and capturing information so
that you don't get sidetracked and start
procrastinating so for me I personally
don't like to capture information and
sort of process it at the same time they
are two distinct things to me I capture
a bunch of information and then at a
later time a secret time I'll process it
I'll look into it I'll structure it a
bit more but those two things are
distinct because when I'm capturing
information I want to be looking for the
right information not having to worry
about how to structure it over here
right so I would split those two up set
some boundaries there and anything else
that you think might be useful so to
wrap this up we have looked at why for
many people personal Knowledge
Management is just a sophisticated form
of procrastination we looked at how it
manifest itself in the form of the
optimization procrastination trap and
the perfect tool trap and the
collector's fallacy and then we looked
at five principles for basically being
better and not procrastinating as much
now if there's one thing you take away
from this video I want it to be this
your personal Knowledge Management
System or your note-taking system is
there to help you do better work
if you find when you look back over the
last three to six months that your work
output is lower as a result of your
system then that system is not a good
system
if you find that your work output is
higher both in quantity and quality then
you have a good system that is the sort
of metric or the litmus test that you
want to adopt and with that I wish you
the best hope you enjoyed this video
make sure to like And subscribe if you
didn't let me know your thoughts down in
the comments I'd love to hear what you
think and if you disagree then let me
know as well I'm always open to counter
arguments and feedback thanks for
watching
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