Welcome

Another week, another newsletter! I hope that you all had a great one 🤩

This week has been hectic. The kids were on vacation, so there was little time to breathe, as usual. We did have fun, but I feel exhausted 😂

We're entering the time of year that I like the least. Less and less light, more and more rain and cold. I can feel my mood getting worse and worse. On the bright side, I'm going to have more time to work on my side projects. And I have a ton to do, especially with my newly launched Knowledge Worker Kit.

Alright, let's gooooo 🚀

The lab 🧪

The lab is where I'm experimenting with ideas and side-projects. It's where I let my creativity go wild, and explore ideas that could change lives. So far, my most successful project has been the Obsidian Starter Kit, and I'm now trying to replicate that success with the Knowledge Worker Kit. I want to build a useful resource for all knowledge workers, but most importantly, a valuable community where we can freely discuss our common challenges, and find ways to become better organized, more effective, all while avoiding burnout and bore out. And there's a TON to discuss!

Launching a new product is quite daunting, but also lots of fun. It takes hard work to convince others that what you're trying to create is going to be (1) delivered and (2) valuable. It has a lot to do with how the project is presented and how much trust and eventual reciprocity you have accumulated. But there's always an emotional element to it. People purchase with emotions much more than with their rational minds. And I still have tons to learn about how to make people feel the need to join.

One thing that struck me this week is that I've been working on side projects for almost 5 years. So far, no big success in sight, and still no way to replace my employee salary or stop consulting. It's a big depressing when I think deeply about it, because I feel like I could do so much more if I was able to work full time on my own projects. But hey, there's a mortgage to pay and three kids to feed. I'm not at a stage of life where I can take risky decisions on a whim. So I'm continuing to do whatever I can, whenever I'm able to, in order to make progress and continue pushing towards my goals. Almost five years have passed, but I've enjoyed every minute of the journey, and my goals remain the same and continue to keep me motivated (yay for intrinsic motivation!).

New articles

No new articles this week. The only piece I have published is a promotional one about the Knowledge Worker Kit: https://www.dsebastien.net/unlock-your-full-potential-as-a-knowledge-worker-with-the-knowledge-worker-kit/

Quotes of the week

• The key to making healthy decisions is to respect your future self. Honor him or her. Treat him or her like you would treat a friend or a loved one — A.J. Jacobs
• It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop — Confucius

Thinking and learning

Are you a pragmatist or an essentialist? https://medium.com/workings/the-philosophy-of-organizing-our-notes-73cc6cee72f3

The Philosophy of Organizing Our Notes

Pragmatists versus essentialists. Or both.

Workings •Stowe Boyd

Leverage Obsidian bookmarks to focus your attention: https://tfthacker.medium.com/zen-like-focus-with-obsidian-bookmarks-a60d24382eb

Zen-like Focus with Obsidian Bookmarks

Obsidian, the famous Markdown note-taking tool as of version 1.2.2 has added a new Bookmarks feature.

Obsidian Observer •TfTHacker

My daughter has ADHD (and I think I also have some of the behaviors), so watching this made me feel better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6o2_UFSEY

When you embrace a tool/platform, its plugins improve the experience, sometimes drastically, but they have issues too: https://tfthacker.medium.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-plugin-9b4fd28259af

The Rise and Fall of the Plugin

Simplicity is the key to Tools for Thought adoption and plugins might complicate things for the majority of users. Let us explore this…

Medium •TfTHacker

I like the idea of using AI/LLMs to explore different ways of looking at the world: https://ai.plainenglish.io/how-to-use-chatgpt-for-divergent-thinking-in-obsidian-and-pkms-3bb829428149

How to use ChatGPT for Divergent Thinking in Obsidian and PKMs

Combining ChatGPT and Obsidian or similar PKM creates a powerful force for divergent thinking. Find out how to make the most of these…

Artificial Intelligence in Plain English •Ric Raftis

If you haven't heard about Andy Matuschak yet, you should definitely explore his blog posts: https://andymatuschak.org/stillness/

Cultivating depth and stillness in research

Andy Matuschak •Andy Matuschak

I find theories of mind fascinating: https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/nicholas-humphreys-beautiful-theory-of-mind

Nicholas Humphrey’s Beautiful Theory of Mind

In his new book, “Sentience,” a neuropsychologist argues that consciousness evolved to make us feel that life is worth living.

The New Yorker •Condé Nast

Ready to get to the next level?

If so, then check out the Knowledge Worker Kit, the Obsidian Starter Kit, the Obsidian Starter Course, the PKM Library, a PKM coaching session with me, my collection of books about software development and the IT Concepts Wall 🔥.

If you want to discuss, then don't hesitate to join the Personal Knowledge Management community or the Software Crafters community.

About Sébastien

Hello everyone! I'm Sébastien Dubois (you can follow me on Twitter 🐦).

I'm an author, founder, and CTO. I write books and articles about software development & IT, personal knowledge management, personal organization, and productivity. I also craft lovely digital products 🚀

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