1/ Here's the case for making "Curate" the first step in my methodology for personal knowledge management, known as CODE. Instead of "Capture"

C – Curate
O – Organize
D – Distill
E – Express
2/ The word "Capture" comes from the first step of GTD, which described it as "the Capture Habit"

This was a novel idea at the time, that you could pluck bits of information out of your mind and the external world and save it in a place you trust and control
3/ When it comes to open loops (unfinished tasks), it's very important to capture them:

1) from your internal mind (where they cause stress)
2) immediately (before you forget them)
3) thoroughly (because even a single one slipping through the cracks can be catastrophic)
4/ But none of these apply to capturing non-actionable information. Most of it 1) comes from the outside world, 2) will come around again if it's any good, and 3) you have to be VERY selective about what you keep to avoid getting drowned in it
5/ And most clearly of all, you don't want the act of capturing content to be habitual and automatic. Habits are best for actions that require no active thought, and may actually suffer if you think about them too much
6/ Capturing content, in contrast, should be as intentional and strategic as possible. It should be mindful, not mindless. This adds friction, but that's a good thing: you don't want anything going into your first OR second brain unfiltered
7/ "Capturing" also emphasizes the mechanical action – taking out a notepad or app, opening it, writing out the open loop, hitting save...

It suggests that if you don't capture something, it will escape, and that will be a bad thing
8/ But with content, capturing can be completely or partially automated (with Readwise, IFTTT, Zapier, native integrations) or easily postponed for later (save to Instapaper, Pocket)

And if you don't get to it later, that's a good thing. The good stuff always comes back around
9/ "Curation" has a very different connotation. It's more about the mindset of being very picky, using your intuition and taste to choose only the best, and having high standards for what is allowed to take up your attention
10/ To curate is to choose an item not in isolation, but as part of a broader collection, theme, or purpose. Like a museum curator choosing artwork for an exhibition, or a magazine editor choosing photos for a spread
11/ Curation also implies that the curator is adding a lot of value, not just gathering together any old stuff. Which is also true in content consumption: what you choose to consume is itself a creative and strategic act, from which everything else flows
12/ "Content curation" has been a niche trend for bloggers, influencers, social media accounts, & marketplaces. But now all of us have to curate info for ourselves. We can't trust that algorithmic feeds will serve our interests. Even social media posts from friends are suspect
13/ Instead of The Capture Habit, I propose The Curation Mindset – a general attitude toward the world that assumes there is a lot of noise and misinformation out there, and we have to purposefully find the signal in the noise
14/ This applies to personal knowledge management of course, but also far beyond. It's bringing mindfulness and intentionality to our info consumption habits, which we are learning can shape our most deeply held beliefs and attitudes

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More from @fortelabs

5 Jan
1/ Here are my top 20 reads of 2020, including the articles, essays, and blog posts that most powerfully shaped my thinking in the last year

Full post below👇
2/ Seeing Like an Algorithm by @eugenewei

eugenewei.com/blog/2020/9/18…

The most nuanced and insightful take I've seen on the algorithm powering TikTok's renowned video recommendations, with lessons for every industry being invaded by machine learning
3/ There and back again: the story of renaming ConvertKit by @nathanbarry

nathanbarry.com/rename/

The story of how ConvertKit started rebranding to a new name, only to have to walk it back after criticism. A courageous modern parable on the importance of cultural sensitivity
Read 21 tweets
11 Dec 20
1/ Here's my investment thesis if I was going to invest in cohort-based courses:

TLDR: they are the best means available to monetize the high end of online audiences
2/ Social media and other platforms have made it easier than ever for many kinds of people to have sizable online audiences: influencers, thought leaders, YouTubers, bloggers, musicians, artists, podcasters, etc.
3/ But monetizing those audiences has depended until now on massive scale: ads, subscriptions (usually only $5-10/mo), Patreon, donations, merchandise, etc.

This limits the people who can make a living online to only the biggest, most mainstream online personalities
Read 23 tweets
7 Oct 20
1/ The true potential of online courses, once you zoom out from the specific technologies, is to allow people who develop new ideas to capture a dramatically higher percentage of the value they create
2/ In the past, creating new ideas wasn't a profitable or even safe activity. You could be burned at the stake, labeled a subversive, or at the very least, rejected as weird or dangerous
3/ Even in modern times, it wasn't profitable. Intellectuals and artists often were penniless in later years, reliant on the generosity of benefactors, charity from the public, or selling their precious possessions as souvenirs
Read 16 tweets
1 Sep 20
1/ When facilitating group Zoom calls, add in one of these forms of interaction every 7-15 minutes to keep people engaged:

1. Group discussion
2. Breakout rooms
3. Group exercise
4. Demo
5. Mentor/guest cameos
6. Chat response
7. Poll

More details below 👇👇👇👇👇
2/ #1. Group discussion

Ask participants to unmute themselves, and reply to a question or a prompt. If there are too many, ask them to raise their hands and call on them

Stops working with more than ~100 attendees because back-and forth takes time, and ppl get intimidated
3/ #2. Breakout rooms

Send ppl to breakout rooms with a very clear discussion prompt, ideally 3-4 per room (if you do 2 some ppl will be alone, because some don't join breakouts)

Stops working after ~200-300 participants because 50 rooms is maximum, which is 4-6 per room
Read 9 tweets
23 Aug 20
1/ One of the biggest changes I'm seeing in the productivity/self-improvement world in the wake of COVID and everything else happening in 2020:

We're entering the Post-Achievement Era
2/ In 2019 we were clearly in Late-Stage Capitalism: obscene displays of wealth, status-driven imagery, consumption as an art form, etc.

But like a fever breaking, the first few months of the year saw that era end abruptly
3/ Now we're in a Post-Achievement Era. I see it most clearly in the book publishing world, which works on multi-year timelines

Book proposals from 2019 about "crushing it," "killing it," "personal optimization" feel completely irrelevant, off color, tone deaf
Read 12 tweets
29 Jul 20
1/ Some further thoughts on this tweetstorm from earlier this month:

Everyone wants to be in the brand-driven/skill-building quadrant, because it seems more defensible and impactful

But that is actually the most dangerous quadrant to be in
2/ For one big reason: YouTube

Youtubers are better at branding than most branding agencies. Colors, intros and outros, similar style thumbnails, personality...they have such a closer relationship with their audience than any brand
3/ No online course can compete with youtubers on brand. The feedback loop is far too long, their focus is always elsewhere, and teachers don’t like investing in what they view as “marketing”
Read 6 tweets

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