How to Reduce Friction in the Reading Process

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Jesse: Next question is from Steven, a 33 year old from Canada. Maria Popova uses a note taking system that involves highlighting passages and writing the page number on the blank pages in the front and back of the book. Your corner marking system is different. Why don't you follow Maria's approach? Jesse: The friction is higher. So it takes more time because you have to go back and think about what you read and then summarize and then index all of the different key ideas or quotes. And then the idea is you can just turn to the front of your book and look at these annotations and one or two pages remind yourself of all of the big ideas.

The art of thinking – plain, old-fashioned, hard concentration on useful ideas – is rapidly vanishing as our culture recasts humans as the custodians and recipients of digital computation. In this episode, Cal explains why this is a problem and what we should do in response.

Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo

Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia

Today’s Deep Question: Why is it important to preserve the vanishing art of thinking? [5:02]

- How do I integrate movies and shows into the deep life? [27:42]

- Can I read after a long day of deep work? [33:30]

- Is a digital “second brain” a good idea to keep up with the latest advancements in your field? [36:25]

- Would Cal consider consolidating his notebooks? [42:37]

- Is Maria Popva’s note-taking method better than Cal’s method? [51:40]

The Books I Read in April 2023 [1:04:29]

Links:

Edward Teller talking about John Von Neumann

youtube.com/watcv=vQp70uqsBV4#t=55m0s