In this podcast, the hosts discuss their experience at a high table dinner at Cambridge, stalking each other on Instagram, their gym routines, and progress in martial arts. They also cover the impact of book recommendations, challenges of taking a proper lunch break, using writing trackers and spreads, responsible tech disposal, automating note-taking and organization using Obsidian, and their frustrations with Twitter.
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Quick takeaways
Implementing regular lunch breaks away from work can improve focus and productivity.
The Bullet Journal method can be a valuable tool for tracking projects and planning during a PhD journey.
Obsidian is a powerful tool for daily note-taking, information management, and automation.
Repurposing old technology and ensuring data privacy are important considerations in an increasingly digital world.
The upcoming book project 'The Distracted Academic' aims to provide practical strategies for managing distractions in academia.
Deep dives
Lunchtime Challenge
Jonathan challenges Jason to take a one-hour lunch break away from his desk four times a week without doing any work during that time.
Bullet Journaling in PhD Journey
Alyssa shares her experience of using the Bullet Journal method during her PhD journey, including spreads for project tracking, semester planning, and writing tracking.
Boujo in Academia
Elisa shares her spreads for organizing different aspects of academic life in Bullet Journal, including research, teaching, service, and a writing tracker.
Personalized Boujo and Gift Exchange
Elisa talks about her personalized Bullet Journal spreads, using semester at a glance and writing tracker, and she also shares thoughtful gifts of washi tapes, protractor, clips, and stickers for Jason's Boujo.
Summary of Podcast Episode
In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss the problem of old tech and automation. They share tips on how to repurpose old technology in a work-from-home setup and how to ensure data privacy when recycling or disposing of old devices. They also explore the concept of a second brain and how to automate note-taking and information storage using tools like Obsidian. The hosts highlight the benefits of using Obsidian's daily notes feature for capturing ephemeral information and share their experiences with integrating Obsidian into their workflows. They also mention their upcoming book project titled 'The Distracted Academic'. Overall, this episode provides insights and practical tips on managing technology, automation, and information in an increasingly digital world.
Using Obsidian for Daily Notes and Information Capture
One of the main topics discussed in the podcast episode is the use of Obsidian for daily note-taking and capturing random information. The hosts highlight the usefulness of Obsidian's daily notes feature, which automatically creates a note with the current date. They emphasize that this feature allows for quick and easy input of ideas, quotes, and other ephemeral information, which can be easily searched and referred to later. The hosts also mention how Obsidian can be integrated with other tools and workflows, such as syncing with cloud storage and linking with external resources like Zotero. They emphasize the versatility and flexibility of Obsidian as a note-taking and information management tool.
Repurposing Old Technology and Ensuring Data Privacy
The hosts delve into the topic of repurposing old technology and ensuring data privacy when recycling or disposing of old devices. They discuss the challenge of keeping up with technology upgrades and the need to find creative ways to make use of old but still functional devices. Suggestions include repurposing old laptops as secondary machines, implementing hot swap systems, and donating or giving away old technology to those in need. The hosts also touch on data privacy concerns and provide tips on securely wiping data from old devices, such as enabling full disk encryption or physically destroying the device. They emphasize the importance of data security and responsible e-waste disposal.
The Concept of a Second Brain and Automated Note-Taking
The concept of a second brain is explored in the podcast episode, with the hosts discussing the benefits of using tools like Obsidian for automated note-taking and information storage. They highlight the advantages of having a second brain in terms of boosting productivity, reducing forgetfulness, and facilitating knowledge growth. The hosts also share examples of how Obsidian and other tools can be used to automate the process of importing notes and highlights from books, social media, websites, YouTube videos, and podcasts. They emphasize the value of automating this process to save time and ensure that valuable insights are captured and easily accessible. Overall, the episode provides insights into the potential of a second brain and the power of automated note-taking tools.
Summary of the Book Project: The Distracted Academic
The hosts mention their upcoming book project titled 'The Distracted Academic'. They discuss the focus of the book and introduce the idea of exploring strategies for managing distractions in an academic context. The book aims to provide practical advice and insights on various topics such as time management, teaching and service commitments, digital distractions, and the impact of technology on academic work. The hosts mention the contributions of other authors and experts in the field, who will be sharing their expertise and experiences in the book. They also highlight their goal of creating a resource that addresses the unique challenges faced by academics in the modern digital age. This book project is presented as an exciting endeavor and an opportunity for readers to gain valuable insights and strategies for managing distractions in their academic lives.
Inger sums up her whole Cambridge University experience in one anecdote about dinner. Jason has gone up a notch in Brazilian Ju Jitsu, which puts him in a position to comment on Mark Zuckerberg's training routine. In other words, it's a normal catch up, but twice as long!
This episode is all a mailbag, starting with a speak pipe from Jonathan O'Donnell challenging the team to regular lunches and a content warning at 30 minutes about weight talk. If you don't want to hear a discussion about losing weight, skip ahead to 40 :46.
We follow with a letter from Alessa Teunisse about Bullet Journalling with all kinds of #bujo spreads to share. At 58:40 we get to a speak pipe from Ben Archer, who is asking about old technology and what to with it At 1 hour 17 minutes with a letter from Marcel Cardinali with all kinds of cool automations in Obsidian.
In the reading segment at 1 hour 27 minutes, the team tease their new book project. Finally, two minute tips happens at 1 hour 32, In the sign off, we explain that @thesiswhisperer on Twitter will shortly be shut down. If you're one of the 52,000 odd followers to that account, have a look below for other options.
Oh - and the first two episodes of the Academics talk about Severance pod have finally dropped! Listen and subscribe here.
