3 Long-Term Benefits of Interstitial Journaling

Don't make the same mistake I did last year and take too little notes on what you're working on.

Better notes on what you're working on has three key long-term benefits you don't want to miss out on. Image
I am LIVID at how bad my interstitial journaling practice was last year.
Recently I had to revisit a paper I was writing for my dissertation, and the last time I had closely looked at it was a year ago. Going over my notes from then I found...nothing. Nothing actionable at least.
So let me tell you why I wish I had done interstitial properly last year.

First, It's Easier to Return to Projects
If you do Interstitial Journaling right, jumping back into a project after a while away is much, much easier. Picking up where you left off depends on you "reloading" all the knowledge into your brain. Keeping notes about what you're thinking about while you work makes that easy.
Second, Visible Progress on Long-Term Projects
When you build a wall with bricks, another brick in the wall = progress. With knowledge work, that's often missing.
But a trail of notes can be like little bricks, stacking over time and showing you how much you worked on the thing, and what you accomplished.
Third, Learning
As you revisit past work, you can spot patterns. What happens when a project goes off track? What does work look like when things are going really well? To learn these things, you need data. Keeping an interstitial journal generates that data – basically for free.

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Keep Current with C𐃏rtex Futura 🚢 9/30 Atomic Essays

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More from @cortexfutura

23 May
We all know that context switching is bad.

But after just writing three hours on my dissertation, I can tell you: sometimes you actually need to context switch to keep going.

Read on below 👇 Image
I'm just coming off a three hour writing session on my dissertation.
There's still so much work today, but I know that I can't do any of that work right now. I can't see the structure of my writing in my head anymore, I've exhausted my ability to think clearly about this topic.
I need to context switch so I can return fresh.

Sometimes breaks are not enough
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22 May
Constraints breed creativity, but not all constraints are made equal.

Finding the right constraint for your current situation is key to getting the most out of it.

So here's a small framework for choosing the right constraint. Image
Constraints breed creativity, but some constraints are better than others.
Which constraint you should create for yourself depends on what your problem is. If you have trouble starting, set tight format constraints. If you have trouble finishing, set tight time constraints.
Format constraints for the procrastinator, time constraints for the perfectionist.
Read 9 tweets
20 May
Your brain doesn't know you're using a tool.

Which means selecting the right tools and learning to use the tools right is time well spent.
Your brain doesn't know when you're using a tool.

A sword, like in the movies. A violin or guitar. Your keyboard. The app you're using. Your brain doesn't know. If you know how to use the tool, your brain just...acts and does what needs doing.
Ergo: selecting the right tools and learning to use the tools right is time well spent.
Read 9 tweets
19 May
Personal Knowledge Management is a limiting term.

What you actually want to get good at is KnowledgeOps.

Let me explain. Image
I dislike the term Personal Knowledge Management.

I find it to be limiting and too static. It conjures up images of shuffling around books on a shelf, sorting them for easier access. Important, but not enough.

Instead, I think we should think about the whole process.
In software development the term DevOps describes
"a set of practices intended to reduce the time between committing a change to a system and the change being placed into normal production, while ensuring high quality" (Bass et al. 2015)

This is what we actually want.
Read 7 tweets
18 May
The Meta-Work Dichotomy

Working on how you do the work is important, and can be incredibly high-value over the long run.

But it matters when you do it. Image
Most people don't do enough Meta-Work.

What's more, most people do their Meta-Work at the wrong time. They do it to avoid the actual work. Meta-Work at the wrong time is procrastination.

Never confuse Meta-Work with the actual work.
Read 9 tweets
15 May
Today is Day 1 of Ship 30 for 30.

In today's essay:

How do you learn about a new field from scratch? Where do you start?

Let me share a super powerful resource with you that makes this incredibly easy. Image
If you wanted to explore a new field of knowledge, where do you start?

How about a curated list of the most influential sources, gathered from thousands of experts in the field?

How much would you be willing to pay for this? And what if I tell you it exists, FOR FREE?
What's amazing is that you can get the most important works for over 60 fields without ever paying a DIME for a course at University.

Just go to OpenSyllabus: opensyllabus.org

Computer Science? ✅ Psychology? ✅ History? ✅ Much more? ✅
Read 7 tweets

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