✨AIP 65 The Best Of 2023
Happy holidays!🎅
Today's post is a little different. Because it's the end of the year, I thought I would do three things:
- Share the most popular posts I created this year
- Share the best books I read this year
- Get your ideas on things you would like me to create in 2024
📽️My Most Popular Content From This Year
📸Most Popular YT Videos
The Only Beginner Zettelkasten Guide You Will Ever Need (5,779 Views)
I used to learn entirely extrinsically as a student. But through using the Zettelkasten method of notetaking, I have fallen back in love with learning through creating novel insights, navigating information overwhelm, leveling up my thinking, and learning to smartly share my insights with others. In this three-part series I'm going to teach you how to do the same by building your own Zettelkasten in Obsidian.
The Only Beginner Obsidian Guide You Will Ever Need (4,952 Views)
This is the Obsidian Beginner guide I wish I had 3 years ago. I will teach you what Obsidian is, its basic functionality, and the 20% of plug-ins that will give you 80% of the results.
PARA Not Working? Try Creating MOCs In Obsidian (3,103 Views)
If you're a PARA user, you may hit a point where you've taken so many notes that it becomes overwhelming. At this point, PARA may no longer be the notetaking buddy you can count on. This is where MOCs come in, and I'm going to guide you on how to create them.
📨Most Popular Newsletters
Aidan's Infinite Play 47 Why I'm No Longer A Straight-A Student (And Why You Don't Want to Be One) (41.8% Open Rate)
I have gone from getting straight A's to B's. A lot of students are being blindly misguided into aiming for straight A's instead of intentioanlly building a love for learning. By the end of this article, you'll know why aiming for straight A's might keep you poor and depressed.
AIP 62 6 Tips For Smartly Sharing Your Book Insights (38.1% Open Rate)
In this newsletter I’m going to share with you 6 tips for smartly sharing your book insights. Hopefully, you never have to experience the embarrassment of being at a loss for words when people ask about a book.
AIP 53 Is Your Information Diet Feeding or Failing You? (37.2% Open Rate)
Writer Aidan here, I'm on a day long fast and the image above is not helping me 😜
The common saying goes, "You are what you eat." I say you're the information you consume. Your informational diet affects your physical and mental health just like your food. If you consume news articles, Tik Tok, and YouTube for six hours daily, you're hurting your ability to form intelligent thoughts. In this article I teach you how to remodel your information diet to align with your values and life goals.
🎙️Most Popular Podcasts
E21 Josh Duffney: When Zettelkasten Notetaking In Obsidian Fails... (917 Downloads)
In this podcast, you will learn:
- Why the Zettelkasten notetaking system can fail...
- How to take dumb notes over smart notes
- How AI will change notetaking
E11 Nick Milo: Bringing Joy Back To Student Notetaking With Link Based Thought (575 Downloads)
We talk about:
- Why Nick transitioned from Evernote to Obsidian
- The power of link-based thought and map-making
- How students can become more engaged with their learning
- How we can use the concepts of flow and gamification to make real life more enjoyable.
E16 Keli Fancher: How To Be Productive As A PKMer (522 Downloads)
In this episode, you will learn:
- Some of Keli's best productivity tips as a PKMer
- Why you should consider connecting your PKM system with your task management system
- The affordances Tana gives for PKM
- The benefits and drawbacks of digital universities
🎁Christmas Special
It's Christmas so until Monday the 29th you can get The Art Of Linked Reading--a course that helps people learn to understand, connect, apply, and smartly share their book insights with linked notetaking apps like Tana, Obsidian, and Logseq--for half price using the coupon code CHRISTMAS at checkout (Just make sure to leave out some milk and cookies for Santa).
You can check out the course here:
📚The Best Books I Read This Year
Superbetter By Jane McGonigal
What if you could take the mindsets you have playing games and apply them to real life? Jane McGonigal did exactly this to overcome a concussion that almost drove her to suicide. This book helped me gamify my life! https://amzn.to/475lhOg
How People Learn By Nick Shackleton-Jones
Traditional education makes people associate learning with anxiety through tests, quizzes, and homework. This book teaches how we should ACTUALLY learn. https://amzn.to/481m7Nf
How To Read A Book By Mortimer J. Adler
The quintessential guide for how to analyze and connect your book insights together. This book will make you take 10000% more from your reading. A must read for every reader... https://amzn.to/3TwIrKl
Amusing Ourselves To Death By Neil Postman
Exposes the entertainment culture of modern Western society. Critical thinking is dying. Will make you question your information diet. Despite being written in the 1960s it's more relevant than ever today. https://amzn.to/3RLzjQG
1984 By George Orwell
Imagine a society in which every action you take is carefully monitored to make sure it fits within the guidelines. Every. Single. Action. Then what if you tried to break free? Welcome to the classic novel, 1984. https://amzn.to/475lmS4
Stumbling Upon Happiness By Daniel Gilbert
Reveals why human psychology sets us up to be unhappy with our lives because of evolution. Then gives insight into how we can live happier lives none the less. https://amzn.to/4auNy3C
The Stormlight Archives By Brandon Sanderson
Yup, I have read this series 3 times over now. It's single-handedly my favorite fantasy series of all time. A story about virtue, identity change, and love of epic proportions. Just, read it... https://amzn.to/47UMGDT
Peak By Anders Ericsson
Makes a radical claim: expertise is not god-given talent, but a skill you can train. How? Through Deliberate Practice. The problem is most people practice like dog poop. This book will show you how experts practice. https://amzn.to/48qkAQC
A Little Hatred By Joe Abercrombie
Grimdark fantasy at its finest. This book explores the darker side of human nature in a steampunk-esque medieval setting through an anti-hero's journey plot. The characters will disappoint you. Every. Single. Time. https://amzn.to/48jlUVs
The Art And Business Of Online Writing By Nicolas Cole
The best book I have ever read on creating a business out of your writing. You will learn the mindsets, methods, and tools you need to succeed as an online writer. https://amzn.to/3uYZU3O
💡Give Me Your Ideas For 2024
2024 is going to be an exciting year of content creation!
And I need your help. Reply to this email, comment at the bottom of the article, or send an email to aidanhelfanthello@gmail.com with one idea you would like me to create on for 2024. Here are some brainstorming questions to help you out:
- What's your number one problem related to Obsidian Personal Knowledge Management you would like solved?
- What's your number one problem related to learning you would like solved?
- Something else you come up with!
🎁Christmas Special
It's Christmas so until Monday the 29th you can get The Art Of Linked Reading--a course that helps people learn to understand, connect, apply, and smartly share their book insights with linked notetaking apps like Tana, Obsidian, and Logseq--for half price using the coupon code CHRISTMAS at checkout (Just make sure to leave out some milk and cookies for Santa).
You can check out the course here:
Got questions? Hit "reply"! I read every email (yeah people are surprised!) 🤗 Thanks for reading!
Cheers, 🥜
Aidan
Thank you for being part of the journey!🎊 Whenever you're ready there are three ways I can help you:
The Art Of Linked Reading: This course helps people who struggle to understand, connect, remember, apply, and smartly share insights from non-fiction books learn to do so with linked notetaking apps like Obsidian, Tana, Logseq, and more.
Obsidian University: a pre-made Obsidian vault, templates, and video course helping you level up your notetaking and studying, fall in love with learning, and get good grades in less time so you have time for other parts of college.
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