Notebook
Welcome to my second brain. My notebook is where I test my ideas in public.
A collection of ideas I get while reading, but too immature for an essay. If a note resonates with others, I develop it into an essay. Think of my essays as complete paintings and my notebook as rough sketches. You get the idea.
To receive these notes in your inbox, sign up at todayilearned.substack.com
My 12 Favourite Problems (2021)
"You have to keep a dozen of your favourite problems constantly present in your mind, although by and large they will lay in a dormant state. Every time you hear a new trick or a new result, test it against each of your twelve problems to see whether it helps.
Aim for quantity, not quality
What's the best way to master something? There was once a pottery teacher who decided to split his class into two groups. The "quantity" group had to make as many pieces as possible throughout the year. The "quality" group had to spend their year creating one perfect piece of pottery.
Interstitial journaling
We all know that we should journal, but most of us don’t do it. Why? I can’t get journaling to stick because nothing is prompting me to do it. And when I do remember to do it, I find it hard to put thoughts into words. I also
My Cabinet of Curiosities
Back in 16th- and 17th-century Europe, it was a thing amongst wealthy and educated people to have a Wunderkammern, a “wonder chamber,” or a “cabinet of curiosities” in your house. It is a room where you place exquisite and remarkable objects to show your thirst for knowledge of the world.
Cut yourself some slack
I’m currently on Day 5 of a 28 Day Writing Challenge, but I’ve been procrastinating on my tasks all day long. I couldn’t get any studying done, nor get any writing done. The only thing I did the whole day was to watch Australian Open highlights and
My 2021 Book Journal
I've started reading more in 2020 since I got my Kindle, so this year I'd like to continue with this habit. This year, I'm aiming to read 25 books. How do I plan to read all of them? It's quite simple. I'll start my day by reading 20 pages, and
Be in a mind like water state
According to David Allen, your brain is for having ideas, not storing them. You don’t need to remember ideas in your head if you have a system that stores them. As a result, you’ll get more good ideas, as your brain can work on having ideas instead of
The Seinfeld Method
I love to watch sitcoms. I certainly don’t need any motivation to spend hours watching Friends or Seinfeld while chugging down a tube of ice cream. But I needed a lot of motivation today to write this newsletter, which was why I decided to write about the method Jerry
When To Say Yes
When I first got into medical school I said “yes” to almost every opportunity. I’d say yes to everything, from paperwork to filming. I’d join numerous projects, always said yes to others and still push myself to do well for my exams. I burnt out at the end.
Make Grand Gestures
Here’s a little known fact. J.K. Rowling struggled to finish the last Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows. In order to finish the book, she had to make a grand gesture. “As I was finishing Deathly Hallows there came a day where the window cleaner came, the kids
