# [[Learning new things in Obsidian (2024) - In defense of remembering]] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZJop14hgf40" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Related:: "" Related:: "" ## Pre-production ### Thumbnail ![[How I learn new things in Obsidian.png]] ![[How I learn new things in Obsidian (1).png]] ### Title 1. how i learn in Obsidian (87) 2. how i process content in Obsidian (62) 3. how i learn from content in Obsidian (61) 4. learning new things in Obsidian (100) 5. content consumption workflow in Obsidian (46) ### Hook Oliver Burkeman, author of the book Four Thousand Weeks, wrote a piece recently on his excellent newsletter, The Imperfectionist, called *How to forget what you read.* In it he makes the point that forgetting is a natural filter, and that we could reframe reading as a way to shape our sensibility to ideas. In other words, he thinks we should give ourselves the permission to forget more than we do, because reading shapes our predilections and cognitive inclinations even if we don't remember the ideas themselves. I'm really taken by this idea. But I think it's wrong. In this video, I'm going to talk you through my current process for how I learn things in Obsidian -- and mount a four-point defense for remembering what we read. ### Structure 1. *Complexity requires permanence.* Writing things down allows us to build upon the foundations of past knowledge and construct more and more complex ideas. - Inputs: Prefer capturable content - Articles: Readwise Web Highlight - Books - Shortform - Kindle - Kobo - Podcasts: Snipd - Video: YouTube - Newsletters: Reader - Everything goes into Readwise 2. *Learning is about deliberate practice.* Learning isn't just about memorising what someone said; it's about holding that memory against the memory of other ideas. It's about interrogation of preconceptions and rethinking how things fit. It's about making connections. That's not stuff that can be shaped over time, passively. - Processing - Napkin - Obsidian - Maps of Content - [[Hegelian Dialectic]] 3. *Sometimes you need concrete results.* If you're a knowledge worker like me, and you actually *make* things based on what you learn, you'll know you need specificity. Cold hard facts and steps and techniques that will help you produce something shiny and new. How do you deploy an app on Kubernetes? No amount of osmosis is going to get you there. - Output - code - notes themselves - videos - conferences - newsletter 4. *Forgetting makes us cultists of the new.* When we don't remember what we've read, [[Availability bias]] kicks in. Our thoughts and opinions become the product of the last ten things we read more than the hundreds of things that have shaped us over the years. ### Outro The premise of allowing ideas to shape us the way water eventually shapes a beach is seductive, because it requires very little effort on our part. The book *Deep Work* by Cal Newport talks about how in a world of inattentiveness, the thing that stands out is focused attention. The read-and-forget cycle doesn't encourage that. You know what does? Remembering what we read-- and writing stuff down. Thanks for watching! *Köszönöm a megtekintést!* ### Related videos and resources The Imperfectionist - How to forget what you read: https://ckarchive.com/b/68ueh8hk25687hkq88gqmtzope0kk Sign up for The Imperfectionist newsletter (recommended!): https://www.oliverburkeman.com/the-imperfectionist Readwise Highlighter (browser extension): https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/readwise-highlighter/jjhefcfhmnkfeepcpnilbbkaadhngkbi Shortform: https://shortform.com/nicole Snipd: https://link.snipd.com/Cx7S/nicole Readwise: https://readwise.io/nicole Napkin.one: https://napkin.one/?via=nicole Deep Work (book): https://amzn.to/3Smvvpw ### Cards ### Pinned comment ``` Nobody sponsored this video, but I do have affiliate links if you'd like to try out some of the apps I mentioned: Shortform: https://shortform.com/nicole Snipd: https://link.snipd.com/Cx7S/nicole Readwise: https://readwise.io/nicole Napkin.one: https://napkin.one/?via=nicole Also, I might think Burkeman is slightly wrong on this point, but I really do love his stuff and rate him highly as a writer and thinker. Go show him some love by signing up to his free newsletter: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/the-imperfectionist ``` ### Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:43 Reason 1: Permanence 01:29 Processing articles, books, podcasts, videos 04:49 What is Readwise? What is Reader? 06:30 Reason 2: Deliberate practice 07:09 Napkin.one 08:19 Hegelian Dialectic in Obsidian 10:40 Reason 3: Concrete results 12:18 Reason 4: Cult of the new ## Post-production - [x] Create captions using Rev, then edit them. - [x] Take a thumbnail photo and create one for YouTube (1280 x 720). - [x] Add description. - [x] Include the title and any keywords in the first few sentences, but in a natural way. - [x] Add related videos and resources as links. - [x] Add end screen. - [x] Add cards if necessary. - [x] Add chapters/timestamps for YouTube if longer than 5 minutes. - [x] Add mid-roll ads/check monetization settings. - [x] Add pinned comment. - [x] Post video preview on Patreon. - [x] Schedule on YouTube. - [x] Add video to relevant playlist(s), or create a playlist if necessary. - [ ] Schedule on Mastodon. - [ ] Create a blog post on [site](https://nicolevanderhoeven.com). - [ ] Add to [video-database](obsidian://open?vault=obsidian-playbook&file=video-database%2FVideo%20database). - [ ] Add to other notes in my vault as appropriate.