Oscar Lagrosen
/oscarlagrosen
Hi! My content is for you who want to have an antifragile, hyperproductive life, full of extreme happiness on command. Main blog: https://thetotalliving.com/
Oscar Lagrosen
3y ago
If I said the word note-taking app, most of you would think about Notion straight away. That is how popular Notion is.
For this video, I have explored how good Notion is for effortless Notetaking and will highlight 7 benefits that Notion has going for, but also 2 drawbacks.
Benefit 1: Straight forward to use
Notion is both beginners friendly and super-advanced, as I’ll come back to later. If you are just there to create and write, Notion is excellent for it. It’s very easy to create new notes and subpages.
In terms of formatting, it uses a visible version of markdown so you can see directly after hitting these shortcuts. In other words, it is very easy to format which is good. Bolding, headlines, highlights, you name it.
Other than that, Notion is made of blocks and you can move around them quite freely. But contrary to roam, you CAN select multiple blocks which makes the app usable, to begin with.
You can also link your notes and see the backlinks. Favorite is very easy and is especially useful if you have one particular note you want to go back to again and again. Although the search feature is a little bit slow, it works fine according to me
Benefit 2 — The Web Clipper
Like Evernote, Notion has a web extension that is easy to setup. Whenever you browse on your computer, you can immediately save this article as a new page inside.
Even on the phone, you can still easily save whatever you find to Notion, so you can build your personal library that way.
Benefit 3: Databases
Now we are getting into the advanced stuff, where Notion clearly shines.
In Notion, you can via a slash command create databases to keep track of certain notes. There are multiple views from tables to kanban boards and you can filter and sort them in many different ways. You can also create linked databases in which you can have the same one but with different views across multiple pages. And if you edit one, it will show up on the other pages.
In terms of tracking progress and getting a high-level overview, databases are very useful. I personally use a kanban board to keep track of these articles, moving them to different statuses. You might first think that this is too complex but this allow you to safely forget about all these projects. And to be your most effective self, forgetting and being present is absolutely essential.
So if you are looking for these views, Notion is the way to go, period.
Benefit 4: Templates
Notion is very famous for its template capabilities, and you can even make a living selling templates.
It’s a bit more complicated to create one, compared to apps like Mem. But if you click on a blank page, there are options to create a template out of it. You can also create template blocks that when used spits out the information you inputted in.
This is very useful if you are doing something repetitively in your work. You can create checklists on the fly and thus not worry about potential mistakes later on.
Benefit 5: Share on the web
Now we get into the real juicy stuff, which I feel many people, me included, have missed
You see, I used to have a blog for which I paid roughly 120 dollars per year just to maintain my domain, blog, theme whatever. But with Notion, you can turn any note, any page to a website page that everyone can view, for free! With a custom domain and everything included.
How cool isn’t that! You do not even need to code, just create information and links on one page and then click upload. There is no need for advanced website builders anymore if you are just starting out.
Instead, click to share it on the web and it is available.
Benefit 6: API
Notion has also a well-functioning API that lets you do all kinds of stuff with it. From automation services like Zapier to custom coding if you can do that.
In other words, and that is something Notion also calls themselves, they are more than just a notetaking tool. With these automation features, you can do whatever you want on other apps and Notion will right with you.
Benefit 5: It’s free
Last but definitely not least, it’s free. For 99% of activities you want to do, it’s absolutely free. Compared to other apps like Evernote, Roam, and Obsidian, your wallet is untouched and you can access it from multiple devices.
The major limitation of the free plan is that it only allows up to five collaborators. If you are a team, you might want to upgrade to a measly $4/month. But in my opinion, if you have a team, you definitely have the means to pay. And when it comes to team features, Notion is very big on that.
So these were the 5 major benefits that Notion has to offer. Now let’s cover the two drawbacks.
Drawback 1: Not suitable for creating many notes
Compared to most other apps, the interface as a whole is not really conducive to creating many notes. Although you technically can, they all end up here which can look a bit messy as you get into more than 100 of them. Of course, you can create many inside databases and within dashboards, but now it’s not as effortless as just pushing a button.
Drawback 2: No timeline
The other drawback I found is a little smaller but still significant. When you create new notes or edit ones, there is no way to get the latest viewed ones back to the top. Especially if you want to create many notes, you have to scroll down a lot.
There is a journal feature though in which you can create pages for the day. So if you are like me and really appreciate daily notes and a place to just dump whatever is in your head, it is a great option for that.
Final thoughts
This might come as a plot twist but I do not think that these drawbacks are bad at all.
Why do I believe that?
Quite simply, Notion is not supposed to be this app where create endless notes although you certainly can. It’s primary for things like dashboards, databases, groups, and categories of notes that might still be there at all times but easily updatable.
You know, I view Notion as a ginormous sidebar. There are projects and metrics I update frequently but I do not add more notes than necessary. And Notion is extremely good at that, plus many more awesome features we did not cover here such as task managers and formulas, I highly recommend you check out Thomas Frank’s channel where he dives deep into Notion.
Together with the benefits just mentioned, I strongly believe it is the best notetaking app right now. Everything you need for free.
But, you want to couple Notion with another notetaking app, something that allows for fast note creation and timeline, This is what I personally do, Notion for everything I need to update and Mem.ai for ideas and daily notes.
Oscar Lagrosen
3y ago
I have now written 337 articles for over a year now.
Here are the 5 lessons I learned. Enjoy this thread of atomic essays.
Thank you to @dickiebush @Nicolascole77 and the rest of the #ship30for30! Could not have done it without you!
#2
#3
Lastly, how much I have earned so far
If you liked this thread, you will like the video-version too: https://youtu.be/xbEizy9hXKQ
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
I wrote my first book from scratch in only four days, released one more book the month after, and then wrote my 3rd book one month later. All while having a full-time job at Amazon, writing a new article and Twitter thread every day, and eating, sleeping, and exercising like usual.
In this video, I will tell you how I accomplished such a feat and the 5 key takeaways I learned along the way that you can incorporate if you are a new content creator.
How I wrote my first book: Effortless Republishing
It all began in April this year when I got access to the exclusive course Zero-to-$1 created by Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole, the founders of the very popular online course Ship30for30.
In that course, they gave away a step-by-step formula on how anyone could create an ebook and earn the first dollar on the internet. All from finding your niche, figuring out which idea to double down upon, how to structure the ebook, and some proven tips on how to publish and market it.
When I started to go through the modules very quickly, I was hooked. I wanted to be the very first one in the advanced community who finished the entire course and started earning on the web.
So I sent out a public tweet that I would create a book from scratch and finish in under a week. Seeing how straight forward their advice was, I was certain that it would be possible.
The key was to pick a very superniche product. One idea, for one specific audience, solving one problem. I was also encouraged to double down on an idea that was already the most popular, going from article to book.
In my case, my most popular essay was this one, which detailed my routine of publishing every day to 24 different platforms. Thus I set out to expand on it, giving the full setup guide.
During those four days, I worked like crazy. I spent up to 6 hours per day just writing. I also felt a lot of impostor syndrome because it was my very first product. It felt like being in an ice bath in foggy weather.
Fortunately, the work itself was never tiring. I had learned to enjoy sitting there and not needing to write, which then sparked my creativity further. If you can genuinely enjoy the feeling of being stuck, you can write a ton without major effort.
At the end of the fourth day I was finally done. I had written 35 pages from scratch, filled with instructions. I still remember the moment when I uploaded the book to Gumroad and then officially announced the record. One whole book written in only four days.
And the book sold. 50 copies in the first two days. It was life-changing to realize that it was that simple to become a self-made author. Now I just need to keep up, producing the next ones and beyond.
How I wrote my second book: The Barbell System
One thing that I learned from the Ship30for30 courses was the following: repurpose whenever you can. If you have written something in the past, update it and repackage it in a very comprehensible format. People are happy to pay for neatly packaged information that otherwise exists for free in the web.
By then, my 15-part article series about a unique productivity system that I created was by far the most popular piece I had written. People seemed to value it, so I decided to base my second book on it.
During a period of two weeks, I spent every day assembling all the articles I had and editing the whole thing to a logical structure with the most important information. Since I did not write from scratch, it required a new skillset for me. From being the writer to being a ruthless editor.
But 1st of May this year, in a hotel room in beautiful Romania, I released it. To this day, it has been my most popular book so far, and it is still selling.
How I wrote my third book: The Ultimate Guide to Total Living
Compared to the other ones, this book was unplanned. At the time in June, I was working on another book which I ended up putting on hold to focus on this Youtube channel.
By then, I was focused on kicking off my newsletter, which you can find in the description. I learned about lead magnets, which were free products people get if they sign up to a newsletter. I figured out that I should have one too, to show some gratitude for the person who was willing to let me in their inbox once a week.
During that month and three months prior, I wrote exclusively about a lifestyle called Total Living. It is the grand sum of best practices that allow anyone to be their best selves every day while enjoying every second, which I have made a video about here if you are interested.
So with my third book, I wanted to be very clear with how to achieve this lifestyle, through five steps. First, become totally present, then adopt the mindset of personal antifragility, then become hyperproductive through the barbell system, eliminate trivial activities and then acquire more leverage by exploring, optimizing and finally delegating.
Because the topic was so fresh in mind, because remember, I was writing about that topic every day for my blog anyway, I wrote the book very quickly. I paraphrased many of my previous articles and made a common thread that was easy to follow. Plus a cheat-sheet with all the steps.
This book ended up taking 58 pages and two weeks to write. At that time, I was more proficient with writing fast and overcoming writers block. Then I officially announced it through my Twitter, as a lead magnet to my newsletter, and the subscriber-count started to grow again.
And yes, you can get the book and cheat sheet totally for free if you sign up via the link in the description.
Key takeaway 1: Formatting is everything
By now you might be wondering, “how do you write so fast Oscar?”. But if you take nothing else from this article, remember this: formatting is everything.
A book is nothing more than a big idea, which is split into chapters, then split into subchapters and then make an outline for each and then write. Because you have the formatting so clear set up, you only need to think about how you can express what you are going to say. Especially if you have low stakes because you can edit afterwards, your fingers will be moving at the speed of thought. Literally.
This is way different than most beginner writers do, who simply open up a blank page and try to write a book from beginning to end. This is too much to handle at once, which is why they quit afterwards.
But as Nicolas Cole says, define the higher levels like the title, chapters and outline and then go down, you will inevitably see where you are unclear and can correct it. This momentum feels extremely great and keeps you going.
Key takeaway 2: Write all your thoughts down to get unstuck
This is probably my most secret hack to fast execution. It also allows you to never get stressed or low energy, at the same time.
It works because of a fundamental principle of productivity coined by David Allen: Your brain is for having ideas, not for holding them.
Our brains are naturally associative and will draw lots of connections, especially if you are very creative. But our working memories can only hold up four things at the same time. This means that if you are trying to remember your ideas and what you want to say just in your head, you will literally run out of room while feeling stuck in the process.
The key is to write the thoughts down so you can safely forget them. When you can look at them right in front of you, you get more room in the brain to get new ideas and become unstuck. If you write every thought down, either in your outline or somewhere else, you are collecting ideas rather than trying to create them from scratch. It will result in you becoming extremely fast with no effort, such as falling from high ground.
Being a collector of thought is how you can 10x your writing speed without effort, which I will cover more in-depth in a future article.
Another thing I do is also to remove things from the outline when I am done with it. This is to allow me to think less and write more. So whenever you see me writing, you have the text on the write, outline on the left and jumping back and forth between the two.
Key takeaway 3: Enjoy the feeling of sitting in your writing chair
Most people have not thought about how they actually sit at all. They look down at their computers while research shows that looking down with a forward head posture causes a lot of strain and lowers your energy. Combined with an inefficient method of writing, writers block is inevitable and they tend to procrastinate.
But if you make yourself extremely comfortable, use the effortless writing techniques I previously mentioned, listen to good music and do not judge what comes out, there is no reason to procrastinate anymore. This feels instead like play, something that you want to do as much as possible.
This also applies if you are making Youtube-videos like I do. There is no need for creative burnout if you simply show up and enjoy the experience like a spa. The flow state itself is extremely invigorating, producing many laugh attacks afterward.
Key takeaway 4: Expect imposter syndrome
As I said before, when you are doing something the first time, could be your first video, first book, first public speaking gig etc, you will feel tons of imposter syndrome. It feels like everyone is watching you at all times, with a smirk.
The key is to expect it and not think about it. If you obsess over it, you give it power and it distracts your work.
Best of all, if people actually criticize your work, it is a good thing. You get attention which is good for the algorithm. Plus, you either know what to improve upon or learn more about the commenter itself.
Key takeaway 5: Improve your typing speed
The last tip is relevant only if you have got everything else right. Only then can you think about how fast you actually type on a keyboard.
For me, it was not an issue at all since I have worked part-time for a transcription company for 1.5 years. I understand, however, that many still type quite slowly.
The two recommendations I can give you are to learn to touch type and then practice. Take some time to figure out where each finger goes on the keyboard, and then do not look at the keyboard. You want to build up muscle memory which will also speed up your thinking. It will also give relief to your eyes since you do not need to look all the time but can just close your eyes while writing extremely fast, something I did a lot during my 7-hour shifts of constantly writing.
Other than that, continue to write. Just like running and everything else, the more you do it better you become.
So this is how I wrote three books in only three months, and this is also how I can upload consistently twice a week while working full-time at Amazon.
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
When you’re not a student anymore, one thing you will notice very quickly is a LOT of emails.
Even worse, your colleagues spend 28% of their working days stuck in their inboxes. Because they do not know how to use email effectively, they do not get any real work done and are stressed out.
But by the time you finish reading this essay, you will be extremely productive with managing your email inbox once and for all, without stress and missing anything important, thanks to Effortless Inbox Zero.
What is Effortless Inbox Zero?
Inbox Zero refers to the daily practice of processing and archiving all your incoming emails and keeping your inbox clean every time you are finished checking them. Because you have the archive with all your emails saved up, you can easily distinguish between new emails you haven’t read and emails you have read, giving you the peace of mind that everything is up to date and not missing.
It’s similar to the reason why you should not have all food on the floor, although it is “easier” to keep them there. They are in the way, blocking you from doing any real progress in the kitchen. If your food is in its proper place instead, you can move fast.
Fortunately, there is an ultra-simple way that allows you to use inbox zero without effort, hence Effortless Inbox Zero.
But first, you need to archive all your current emails, which is super easy. On Gmail, you select all emails you can (up to 100 at a time) and press archive (or click the short command “e.”) Repeat this until every email is archived.
On Outlook, you select all the emails and move to archive (or press backspace). On iPhone, you can also select all emails and then move to archive.
See how easy it was to get to inbox zero, only took minutes. All your emails are still available via the search bar and archive menu, but you can breathe normally for the first time.
Here’s how you continue having your inbox clean and fresh the easy way:
How to do Effortless Inbox Zero
Whenever you visit your inbox, you want to start from the bottom. This is because, with the short commands, you will automatically get to the next one without being taken back to the main menu.
On Gmail, you have to turn on Auto-advance by visiting the advanced section of settings. While you are in settings, make sure that Keyboard shortcuts and Conversation view are enabled in the General tab.
When it comes to the emails themselves, there are only four types of emails you ever get:
Emails that do not require a response from you, such as announcements, confirmations, and spam.
Calendar invites
Newsletters
Emails that you are obligated to respond to or take action now
Let’s go over each one:
TO CONTINUE READING, VISIT THE LINK IN THE REPLIES
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
If you read this, you are probably interested if Mem.ai is the right note-taking app for you.
I have personally used Mem every single day since August last year, so almost 14 months. I have also created over 4000 notes within the program, and it is pretty much a part of my life at this point.
So here, you will read my honest opinion about Mem, the seven things I like about it, and also four drawbacks that can still be improved. Finally, I will give my honest rating and discuss whether it is the best app for you.
Benefit 1: No folders
The first thing you will find out about Mem is that it does not have any folders. The only thing you will see is the timeline where the recently viewed or created notes shows up.
Why do I believe it is a good thing, you might ask? Because of this: folders do not need to be used for notes.
If you have a note-taking system based on folders, you have to decide where it belongs consciously. If you repeat the same effort, but for 1000 notes, it becomes intolerable for most people, which is why many still have cluttered workspaces. You simply do not have time to do the extra organizing.
With Mem, you do not need to organize at all, which is why they market themselves as self-organizing. With the timeline, you can scroll down and find the notes you created in order. If you are looking for a specific note, you can search for it.
Benefit 2: Lightning-fast search-bar
Unlike other note-taking apps, Mem’s search bar is extremely fast and can be easily accessed by the mouse or by pressing Ctrl-K. The development team has done a very good job there.
Thanks to its amazing ability to search and browse through all options, you do not even need tags. All you need to do is type whatever word a note contains, and it will show up beautifully, just like that. You can also favorite notes that you check very often on the sidebar.
Benefit 3: Daily Mem
In the settings, you can enable what is called a Daily Mem. At a specific time every day, a note will be automatically created with today’s date and a hashtag.
This is a huge benefit because now you have one place every day where you can dump everything to. It becomes like a journal where you can write down your ideas, insights, and every piece of information you came across that day. In my experience, once you know that you have ONE trusted place to put everything in, creativity and ideas just fly through the roof.
But make no mistake, it is still extremely easy to create new notes in Mem. On the timeline view, you can simply type, and it will create a note.
TO CONTINUE READING, VISIT THE LINK IN THE REPLIES
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
Creating content every day can be very hard.
All from ideas, research, learning, and then somehow make it interesting for the audience.
But thanks to a practice I call Effortless note-taking, I have been able to publish a new article every day for ten months straight and currently upload a new video twice a week on this channel, all by myself, while having a full-time job at Amazon.
In this video, I will share with you step-by-step how you can easily implement Effortless Notetaking into your workflow so you can 10X your creative output and never worry about creative burnout again.
Select a note-taking app
We’ll start by selecting a note-taking app because you want to gather all ideas and information you have in a place you trust.
There are TONS of options, and it can be hard to pick one at first.
I personally use four note-taking apps: Mem.ai, Google Tasks, Google Keep, and Apple Notes. Mem.ai is the hub where my daily notes, templates, checklists, and overall knowledge management is. Google Tasks for all my ideas for videos and articles because it’s so easy to add. Google Keep to expand on these ideas and add notes. Finally, I use Apple Notes to mainly write my thoughts down because it loads so quickly on the phone, and I can paste everything to Mem.ai at the end of the day.
Once again, this is what I use and works best for me now, but if you prefer another solution, great! Like fitness, the best one is what you use every day, so do not overthink it. You can use the apps mentioned here or other popular ones like Notion or Evernote.
The daily note
Now that you have your note-taking app or apps set up, it is time to use them.
When it comes to Effortless Note-taking, there are two rules:
TO CONTINUE READING, VISIT THE LINK IN THE REPLIES
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
To-do lists are broken
There are always unfinished tasks, you do not know when to do all of them, but you feel that they should be done right now.
But I have finally found a solution, which does not require eliminating it altogether 👇
Read the full article here: https://thetotalliving.com/2022/09/how-to-use-a-to-do-list-without-the-overwhelm/
Or watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/xKTTNeSB0tQ
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
If you use the calendar correctly, you can
Get more than 2x done daily
Reduce stress & overwhelm
Never fall off good habits again
Here is how 👇
Full article here: https://thetotalliving.com/2022/09/how-to-use-the-calendar-for-maximum-productivity/
You can also watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/IZXzA5qfaLg
Oscar Lagrosen
4y ago
Back in February this year, I wrote a 15-part series about the simplest productivity system I discovered after three years of reading and experimenting with productivity.
It is so simple that high-performers use it without knowing it. Yet it is because of its simplicity that it works.
With this article (and probably some more after that), I want to give a fresh update, adding 7 months of insights.
The Barbell System consists of three tools:
Calendar to view your must-do tasks, meetings, appointments, and other planned time
Can-do list to view all the things you can do at any given moment
Note-taking and storing system for keeping ideas, notes, links, and other relevant information.
With all three combined, you have a very trusted digital assistant. Whenever you are unsure of what to do next or need some information, they are at your fingertips.
Quick installation guide
Set up your preferred calendar app on your phone, syncing between all devices. I also recommend you use the calendar widget on your home screen to view your day at a quick glance.
Set up a task manager on your phone. Personally, I use Google Tasks but Todoist, Remember the Milk, Things, Teux-Deux and even note-taking apps are good options. This is where your can-do list (and other checkboxes) resides.
Set up a note-taking app on your phone. Don't overthink it, just start and upgrade as you go.
Then you are done.
One rule to maintain the system at all times
No weekly reviews are necessary as long as you stick to this habit:
Whenever you have an involuntary thought that cannot get out of your head, write it in your calendar if you must do it, your can-do list if you might want to do it, and your note-taking tool if everything else.
In other words, it is a living system. Like water, it always reflects your current reality. It self-organizes.
And you are left free to do what you desire, with the utmost attention.
The next three articles will go through each of the parts. In the meantime, you can read the original series here and get the full ebook here.