Shadowing Practice: This Book Changed How I Read - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Right, so today we're going to talk about this book, How to Take Smart Notes.
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So this is a new series on this channel where I go through distilling my favourite epistemology lessons, which is basically the study of knowledge from my favourite books.
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So this video will be broken down into three parts.
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Number one is setting up your environment for success.
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Number two is how to structure your notes.
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And number three is the actual note -taking technique itself.
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So lesson number one talks about how thinking about and setting up the ideal environment for you to think, learn, and work in is actually far more important and willpower.
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Basically this lesson that to succeed it really isn't about raw willpower
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and discipline which is the opposite of what I used to think
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when I was younger particularly when I was studying for my exams
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and stuff like this because I thought
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that anything basically worth achieving was meant to be hard
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and it was meant to feel really difficult
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and meant to be a slog and I somehow had it in my head
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that you know having a lot of discipline
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and being able to persist were good character traits
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and they are don't get me wrong but it's not the most conducive environment your best work.
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I'm basically thinking that it was supposed to feel hard, that if it felt too easy, I would almost feel guilty and I wasn't making enough progress or I was doing something wrong.
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That was basically the mindset I used to have.
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And this is basically the premise, the core of the philosophy that this book states.
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Studies on highly successful people have proven again and again
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that success is not the result of strong willpower and the ability to overcome resistance, in the first place.
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And James Clear from Atomic Habits also mentioned this.
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He's a big, big advocate of setting up the ideal environment, reducing friction, doing all of those things first before looking at doing raw willpower.
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Because if you are slogging through it using willpower and discipline, it feels difficult.
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It's a drain on yourself.
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And a lot of the time you have to use external rewards to kind of trick yourself.
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But when you do use external rewards, we do have to remember that basically we're admitting there's a conflict between what we want in the short term
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and any conflict is just meant to be draining.
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So following on from this, lesson two is about basically making the process of actually working and learning inherently fun and feel easy and natural.
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So this means the act of doing the work itself should feel like play and should feel like fun, and that means you shouldn't have to rely on external rewards to keep doing the thing.
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So for example, if I say I'm gonna do X number of hours of revision, or if I write Y number of pages of this report,
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I'm gonna reward myself by playing, you know, video games.
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That's really not ideal.
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And basically what he's saying is that we shouldn't have to rely on an external system if we enjoy the process itself.
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And what he's saying is that there's nothing more motivating than improving and getting better at something.
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And the thing is the slipbox system is designed to feel like play.
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And the more it grows, the better you become, the more it compounds, the more ideas you have to draw upon.
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And the richer your thinking and your writing becomes.
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Because at the end of the day, going back to my younger days, remembering doing those
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and opening a document and it's just a blank page and then you have to do a lot of manual labor, a lot of lifting, there's a huge amount of inertia
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and you just don't want to do it
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and what would end up happening even if I would have a three or four week deadline or sometimes even longer, I would just leave it until the last week
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or even the last couple of days because I'm dreading it so much and I don't know why, like even if I would start a lot earlier, I would just stall and then I
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with the slip box is you're never actually starting from scratch because all of your ideas, all of your thinking, all of that stuff, all of the connections between the ideas have actually been pre -done.
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So instead of starting with a blank page, all you're doing with a particular topic matter or a paper you're writing or whatever it is, you're just picking out the relevant ideas from your slip box
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and all of the connections to those relevant ideas are also there and the thinking is inside of the notes.
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So instead of starting with a blank page and you doing a lot of heavy lifting, it kind of arranging pieces and that process does feel like play and is inherently fun.
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So I would kind of compare it to basically building Lego
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but instead of with building blocks you're building with ideas
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that you've already pre -done and it's the exact process I use to write my free newsletter.
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So a quick little plug if you're interested in epistemology and other ideas like this make sure you sign up for that.
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It's basically distillation of all of my ideas that I have in my slip box and finance.
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So to sum up this entire mindset, I really like this quote from the preface of one of my favourite books called Black Swan, which is a multi -million bestseller and read by some of the top fund managers.
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So the author writes, I derived an unexpected amount of enjoyment writing this book.
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In fact, it just wrote itself.
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And I hope that the reader will experience the same.
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I confess that I got hooked on this withdrawal into pure ideas after the constraints of an active and transactional life.
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So imagine getting to an effortless level of flow state where a book feels like it just writes itself.
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That's kind of cool, right?
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And I feel like that's something where we all want to aspire to getting to
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that level of enjoyment and it feeling natural and things just flowing.
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If we want to do our best work.
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So lesson three about this system is that it provides an external framework for us to think in.
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built behind is that our brains inherently have limitations.
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And the three very limited resources in our brains that we're trying to compensate for is attention, short -term memory and willpower.
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So with the willpower point we solved that by prioritizing having fun.
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With the attention point we'll come back to that in part three.
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In this lesson we're going to talk about the short term memory.
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So the thing is with short term memory, an interesting point he makes in the book is
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that psychologists seem to agree on a very specific number of how many things we can hold in our short term memory.
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And that number is seven things.
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plus or minus one or two, but for the vast, vast majority of people, that's pretty much it.
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So if you've got a lot of things on your mind, so it could be tasks or different ideas or stuff you just don't write down,
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that occupies very, very valuable resources from your short -term memory.
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So one example I read in another book that I really liked is that basically our memories, think of our memories as this vast, vast library.
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In terms of our long -term memory, people kind of With the short -term memory,
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think of that as like a very small desk within that vast library.
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But there's only a very limited amount of things we can kind of pay attention to
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and keep in our short -term memory and work on.
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in any one time from our vast memory reserves.
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So we clutter that up and we don't have a mechanism to offload some of that into an external thinking framework.
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It means that it takes a valuable resource and we're not able to use that short -term memory to think about ideas, to find links between things,
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to process things and that really impedes our understanding.
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And another really interesting point is that our memories, the way we retrieve things,
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is not like a hard drive where everything every time we remember something, every time we retrieve something,
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we're actually actively rewriting it, which is kind of crazy.
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But it makes sense because our worldview and our opinions and a lot of these things will update.
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So it means that the lens we view ideas changes every time we remember something.
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And the brain is very good at maintaining our existing worldview to make us feel comfortable.
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So what that basically boils down to is if we don't write down our ideas, and we rely on our kind of unreliable short -term and long -term memory.
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When we remember something, we have a tendency to distort facts, basically to twist things.
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It basically is the brain's way of making sense of itself.
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but that could lead to huge, huge errors.
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Okay, so now part two, we're going to talk about the overarching philosophy of the system.
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And he says that basically, in the old system, the question is, under which topic do I store this note?
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In the new system, the question is, in which context will I want to stumble upon it again?
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And this is basically the crux of the whole system.
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Basically, in the old system, what the author calls the archivist, which is basically what I used to do for most of my life.
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What an archivist means is that you're overly concerned with where things go, with organization.
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For example, when I would read a book in the past, I would take very, very detailed notes of it, and then I would go ahead and meticulously put it in the right category, in the right knowledge areas,
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the right tags, all of that stuff, and then I'd feel really productive at the end of it.
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But the only issue is, even though I've done all of that, and I know exactly where it is, and I know all the tags and all of that stuff, I would never actually come back to it.
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And that's basically the crux of it.
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With an archivist, your major concern is basically where things go.
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And then you have what he calls the writer /expert.
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And here it's the opposite way around.
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Instead of a top -down system, which is what the archivist is saying, you're dictating what categories your notes go in.
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With an expert writer, it's bottom -up.
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You allow the notes to form organic connections between different ideas, regardless of what topic they came in, regardless of what the original context is.
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They just form their connections and then you organically see where clusters naturally grow.
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With this way you're far more likely to be able to make connections between things
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that you didn't even notice before and for surprising connections to just pop up.
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But wait I hear you say isn't
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that just going to be a huge mess
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if you don't have a category and
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if all of your notes sit there how are you going to find anything at all?
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Well this is actually the beauty of the system
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because in the old way it relies on you remembering exactly what notes you want,
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exactly what topic areas you want and it's almost library with a list of exactly what you want.
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But the Slipbox method does the opposite.
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It doesn't rely on you remembering anything at all or knowing upfront what relevant notes are there to your topic.
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Because the thing is, you don't a lot of the time.
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And because you already have done the pre -thinking and the connections, because when you look up specific certain notes and you see the connections that come off of those notes,
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there may be relevant notes to your topic that you completely didn't even consider.
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And this is where really the exciting things happen, because formed and new perspectives to your writing,
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to your thinking can emerge from the whole thing.
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All you really need through this system are entry points.
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So basically these are like overview notes
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that give you an entry point to a certain idea
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and then you can just follow the connections along and collect all of the relevant notes.
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Okay so now we move on to part three
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which is the actual mechanics of the note -taking system and this lesson is about elaboration.
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So what elaboration means is just that taking notes and writing them in your own words.
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This is really important because what collect a collection of quotes or copy things.
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By elaborating and writing it in your own words, it basically forces you to really process the ideas and think about it and understand the idea.
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And then once we've done this, we would put this into our reference system, which is ready for the next stage before we think about putting it in the slip box.
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So the only main nuance here is that the inventor of this system, Dr. Luman in the 1960s, wrote this on small pieces of A6 cards,
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per card without allowing himself to extend.
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So this way it means
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that it really forces you to distill the idea to its most core principles
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and being very concise with it and not waffling.
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So I use a digital system but I also impose this restriction upon myself.
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I don't allow myself to waffle ages just to keep every idea very concise.
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So now we move on to the lesson of moving our ideas from our reference system to the slip box
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and this is where the system really So once we've elaborated on our notes and it's in our reference system,
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we go through this process of trying, taking those ideas and trying to find connections within our existing slip box.
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So that means going through an entire vetting process.
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So we're not really nearly putting things into our slip box.
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We're asking ourselves how these notes contribute to the entire system.
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Does it answer any questions?
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Does it contradict anything?
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What does it really contribute?
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What does it really add?
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Does it combine with a different idea to form new ideas?
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Basically, any idea
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that we consider putting in the slip box has to really contribute a lot to the existing conversation that's already going on.
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And the emphasis really is about forming and strengthening existing connections.
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So basically, it's really about changing our philosophy.
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It's not about just archiving things really neatly and letting it gather dust.
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Our focus is on stumbling upon the relevant notes
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at the exact right moment we need them and the exact right moment
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that it can benefit us and is relevant to us.
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Going back to the three limited resources of the human brain, One of them was attention.
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And this is exactly what it does.
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It directs your attention exactly when you need it and when it's most relevant and important to you.
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Even things that were completely outside the realms of what you thought was relevant at this stage.
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And this is hyper -focusing your attention, which is very limited.
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And this is another really cool thing compared to the old system where basically you would tab things
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and put it in categories and sorting it into, you know, whatever subject areas it was.
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Because that process I find, and I've done that process quite a lot in because every time you come out with a note, I have to think to myself,
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okay, where does this go?
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Does this go in philosophy?
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Does this go in economics?
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There's a bit of a mix, and then your notes just pile up, and there is a lot of decision fatigue in doing this.
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But with the Slipbox Method, that exact process of moving into the Slipbox is one and the same as you understanding the note on a deeper level.
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So basically, you're doing your understanding, and you're doing the Slipbox organization in one.
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Because at the end of the day, if we really break down what learning, what understanding is, is asking ourselves how an idea fits into the overall picture.
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And through this process, we're not only compounding our entire knowledge area.
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Every time we do this, we're actually reinforcing old ideas because we have to think about how they connect, which is just absolutely genius.
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Compared to the old system where I would spend hours and hours, write a bunch of notes about a book I've read and then just never go back to it.
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So anyway, I hope that was somewhat useful to you.
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I actually have videos on those too, about the O system as an overall, and actually a specific video about creating your own Obsidian Slipbox setup.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will learn how to enhance your note-taking skills and set up an optimal environment for studying. The discussion revolves around a transformative approach to learning that prioritizes enjoyment and ease over willpower and discipline. By understanding the principles described, you can not only improve your ability to take smart notes but also reduce the friction that often makes studying feel taxing. This lesson also emphasizes the importance of creating a productive learning atmosphere and turning the act of studying into a fun, engaging process. You will practice techniques that allow you to derive pleasure from learning, making it easier to remember and utilize the information you gather.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Epistemology - The study of knowledge and how we acquire it.
- Environment for success - A setup that encourages productive learning and thought.
- Willpower - The ability to control oneself and make decisions.
- Discipline - Training oneself to follow a set of rules or loud principles.
- Slipbox system - A technique for organizing notes in a way that fosters easy access to ideas and connections.
- Inertia - A tendency to resist change or delay action.
- External rewards - Incentives given to increase motivation for tasks.
- Connections between ideas - The relationships and links that exist between different concepts in learning.
Practice Tips
To improve your English pronunciation while shadowing this video, focus on the delivery speed and tone of the speaker. Try to repeat phrases immediately after hearing them, mimicking the intonation and rhythm. This technique, known as shadowspeak, will help you gain fluency and enhance your ability to connect thoughts. Pay special attention to how the speaker emphasizes certain words and expressions. You can also break the video into short segments, allowing you to practice each section multiple times until you feel confident.
Additionally, as you watch, visualize yourself in a supportive environment for success, where you enjoy the process of learning. This mindset will not only make shadowing more engaging but also help you associate a positive experience with language practice. By practicing with YouTube content, you can learn English with YouTube effectively while improving both your speaking and listening skills. Remember, the goal is to create a fun learning atmosphere that keeps you motivated.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop โ als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1โ2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert โ waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.