The Tim Ferriss Show
Ep 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Maria Popova emphasizes the value of finding hidden insights and quotes in literature to explore new works and ideas.
- Digital note-taking tools have limitations for heavy readers and researchers, highlighting the need for better tools designed specifically for serious reading.
- Delegation and outsourcing can reduce stress and increase productivity, as Maria Popova shares how it led to more efficiency and work-life balance.
- Maintaining a commitment to authentic and meaningful content while adapting to changing demands is essential, as Maria Popova discusses the evolution of Brain Pickings.
Deep dives
Reading and writing for personal growth
The speaker discusses her routine which involves waking up after 8 hours of sleep, meditating, going to the gym to read while on the elliptical machine, and then beginning her writing. She uses the Kindle app and Evernote to take notes and organize her thoughts.
Importance of finding hidden gems in literature
The speaker emphasizes the importance of finding hidden insights and quotes in literature that are not typically highlighted. She discusses her strategy of marking these passages and using them to explore new works and ideas.
Challenges with note-taking in digital and physical formats
The speaker highlights the limitations of digital note-taking tools for heavy readers and researchers. She explains her own workarounds, such as copying Kindle highlights into Evernote, but suggests that there is a need for better tools specifically designed for serious readers.
Collaborative assistance and proofreading for Brain Pickings
The speaker mentions having an assistant for administrative tasks and a copy editor for proofreading. She describes her process of emailing articles to her copy editor for corrections and receiving them back for final review.
The Importance of Delegation and Outsourcing
Delegation and outsourcing can be vital in reducing stress and increasing productivity. Maria Popova explains how her partner helped her realize the need to delegate and how it led to more efficiency and better work-life balance. She acknowledges that the notion of outsourcing can sometimes be seen as a sign of weakness, but emphasizes the importance of priorities and the strength it takes to delegate.
The Evolution of Brain Pickings
Maria Popova shares the evolution of Brain Pickings, from a simple newsletter with five links to a curated collection of thought-provoking articles. She discusses the challenge of managing the growing volume of content and the need to adapt to the changing demands. Popova also highlights the importance of staying true to one's values and maintaining a commitment to authentic and meaningful content.
Managing Comments and Social Media
Maria Popova explains her decision to remove the comment section from Brain Pickings and the importance of creating a positive and thoughtful environment for readers. She discusses the challenges of dealing with negativity and snap reactions on social media and emphasizes the need for respectful and meaningful engagements. Popova also shares her approach to managing social media platforms and the use of scheduling tools like Buffer and Just My Hands.
This episode is sponsored by 99Designs and ExOfficio.Maria Popova has written for amazing outlets like The Atlantic and The New York Times, but I find her most amazing project to be BrainPickings.org.Founded in 2006 as a weekly email that went out to seven friends, BrainPickings now get more than 5 million readers per month (!). I read very few blogs regularly, but BrainPickings is one of the few. It is a treasure trove.BrainPickings is Maria's one-woman labor of love — her subjective lens on what matters in the world and why. It's also an inquiry into how to live and what it means to lead a good life. From Mark Twain to Oscar Wilde and everyone in between, Maria finds hidden gems to share.And that's what I hoped to do in this episode. It takes me a few minutes to warm up in this interview, but as soon as we get going, we geek out like crazy, talking about almost every aspect of her life, her site, her business, and her writing. I loved doing this interview, and I hope you love listening to it. There are a lot of valuable nuggets.
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