Writing
Research & Understanding
How we gather evidence, map uncertainty, and build models that survive contact with reality.
Why You Take Notes But Never Get Smarter
Saving information isn't the same as learning it. Why a note-taking system built for storage keeps you collecting instead of thinking, and what to do with the notes you already have.
Where do new thoughts go while creating literature notes?
When an idea of your own turns up while you're writing literature notes, is it a literature note, a fleeting note or a permanent note? A short recap of the three note types and a simple rule for deciding.
Finding the right granularity in your Zettelkasten notes
How detailed should a permanent note be, and should you keep your fleeting notes? Why I break ideas into small, focused notes and keep the rough captures as an audit trail.
Unlimited learning
Why learning feels so hard when it has no personal purpose, what my A-level maths taught me about that, and why I now start every subject with a why.
Self awareness before knowledge
Information is everywhere, yet knowing more rarely makes us change. Why self awareness, and giving ourselves permission to look honestly at our situation, may come before knowledge does any good.
Being a lifelong learner
Why we stop learning once formal education ends, the difference between learning a skill and studying a subject, and a six-week programme for setting your own curriculum.
Is your fixed mindset preventing you from learning?
One study found that people who believe they can learn from mistakes show a stronger brain signal after an error, and do better on the next attempt. What that does and doesn't tell us about mindset and learning.
Evolve your thinking to have original ideas
If everything feels as if it has been said before, borrow two tricks from biology: combine ideas from different parents, and mutate them on purpose. Worked examples included.
How to make atomic literature notes using the Zettelkasten method
A walk-through of turning a book's highlights into single-idea literature notes, then into permanent notes, with worked examples and a trail back to the source.
Fix your reports
Most team reports restate the numbers and leave everyone with a warm or cold feeling. A good report finds the cause behind the numbers and says what to do next.