Recently, I started reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Leonardo da Vinci and it's a goldmine of ideas for notebook enthusiasts. Today, I want to share a few of my takeaways about how the Renaissance genius lived and the ways he used his notebooks to develop his mind. Paper has a proven track record. The first thing that struck me is the fact that Isaacson is able to go directly to the source himself thanks to the durability of paper. 500 years after Leonardo da Vinci's death and his...
9 days ago • 4 min read
The biggest changes in my life rarely came from epiphanies and radical decisions. They came from tiny habits accumulated over time, most of which involve my notebooks. I say these are "tiny" journaling habits because they don't take more than a few seconds and are easy to incorporate into daily life no matter your circumstances. And, I say "HUGE impact" meaning, these journaling habits can lead to substantial positive benefits for you, as the have for me. So let's talk about three of them. 1)...
16 days ago • 4 min read
My writing process has changed a lot over the last few years. Early on I leaned heavily into digital workflows. I used Notion databases to organize my projects, Grammarly to edit my writing, and chatGPT to help outline and draft pieces. But now, I don't use any of those tools at any point in the process. That's because my writing always felt flat, and my ideas generic. Managing all the data I compulsively saved in my digital second-brain became a chore, and the time I spent tinkering with...
23 days ago • 7 min read
Yesterday I turned 35 and it was a reminder that no matter how young I feel at heart, the clock is still ticking. When I look back at my life I have this strange feeling that large chunks of my memory are missing. Well, it's not just a feeling, large chunks of my memory are missing because there's no record of them. I spent most of my 20's idolizing good times and novel experiences. Thanks to the alcohol that accompanied those fun nights, I don't really remember much of them. I was never one...
30 days ago • 1 min read
YouTube and I have a love-hate relationship. YouTube is probably where you met me. Thanks to their algorithms, creators like myself can share what they're passionate about and find an audience. And for that, I am grateful. But those same algorithms are a powerful current that slowly drags creators out to a sea they never intended to swim in. It starts out innocent enough. You make a video about a topic you're passionate about and it does well. You make more videos about the topic to see if...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
In grade school I was obsessed with learning. Everything seemed so interesting and novel to me but by the time I got to high school that natural curiosity had been choked out of my system. School made it all so boring. Read this book. Memorize these names. Take that test. Pass or fail. What was the point? To get a piece of paper that says I got through school? Surely education was meant to be more. I tried to go to college but found it to be more of the same, a soulless endeavor to pass more...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
In April of last year, I unlocked a superpower: An extra two and half hours a day to spend reading, writing, exercising, and creating things that bring me joy. "How?" you might ask. I deleted Twitter/X, Instagram, and all the news apps off my phone. 2 hours and 24 minutes is what the average person spends on social media each day. This probably isn't surprising to hear but if you crunch the numbers you will realize that adds up to over 900 hours a year scrolling through content you'll forget...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
March 31st, 2024 I sat at a small wooden writing desk that overlooked the rooftops of Florence, Italy to write in my journal. "My favorite part of this apartment is the lack of tv. It has a writing desk, tons of books, art supplies, and it really makes me feel inspired to create rather than distract myself. Maybe that's the key to creating new habits: make it impossible for bad ones and obvious for good ones." Up to that point I was your typical productivity bro. Every part of my creative...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Two years ago I decided to write every day. I had spent the previous decade partying, doomscrolling, and waiting till tomorrow to chase my dreams. My goal was to develop my thinking and rekindle my childhood passion for reading and creating things. I also wanted to help other people get out of their own way and show them how writing can change their lives for the better. To keep myself committed, I started this newsletter with one simple rule: Every Tuesday morning I would send out a piece of...
2 months ago • 1 min read