How to get the most out of what you consume (with a live example)
We consume a lot of content, but the ability of squeezing the most from it can be extremely rewarding.🤑
There's a high chance that a lot of people consume the same content. However, not everyone has the same takeaways. By actively participating in the content you consume, you unearth a series of information that is possible only because you ask the right questions.
Unfortunately mindless consumption is so common that advice in front of you goes ignored.❌
Let's illustrate with an example:
Let's pick a piece from an article by Farnam Street titled Mental Models
Now, this is a long read, but the information you can get from it is monumental.
How do you get the most from this article? (step by step)
Step 1: Have a notebook/ database ready
This article is about mental models. If this a new term to you that's the first thing you explore.
Note the concept down/ start a new page titled MENTAL MODELS
Write the name of the blog/ embed the link in your page
Step 2: List things to further research on
One of the lines in the article is:
In a famous speech in the 1990s, Charlie Munger summed up...
Lookup:
Charlie Munger - who, what, read his wiki if needed
Search for 'Charlie Munger speech 1990' on YouTube
This is the first line of potential rabbit holes you can enter.
Step 3: Repeat Step 1 and 2
You found Charlie Mungers speech. Now you repeat Step 1 and 2. This is how your notes can look like:
Charlie Mungers speech 1990; <insert link of video>
Key terms in this video (first 3 minutes): Behavioral economics, relationship between economics and psychology, 24 standard causes of human misjudgment
In this article, we already see the amount of information extracted from one keyword. Imagine the knowledge you can leverage from one article, one newsletter, one book!
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ― Albert Einstein