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creating a digital garden to end my doomscrolling

6 min read

source link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tY7Z53QJo8 | Anna Howard

Introduction

A couple of sayings to open the conversation here:

”create more than you consume.”

“In order to be interesting, you need to be interested.”

The problem:

  • We’re all addicted to scrolling already → that’s called doomscrolling… ❌

But what we want: ✅

  • to create more
  • to cultivate curiosity

How?

  • having a system that supports that → taking notes SMART!
    • ⇒ one way to do it is with a digital garden

Table of content (roughly)
• How to be a more interesting person
• Why would taking notes help you be more creative?
• What is a digital garden?
• How do you create a digital garden?

Digital garden 101

Quick definition

  • DEF: a digital garden is a place that makes it possible to
    -> make connections between all of the things that you are consuming

  • WHAT IT IS NOT: you’re not just taking notes in a notebook or writing a blog where things are going to be all chronological

  • WHAT IT IS: you can write about any topic and you can connect it to all of the other things that have to do with that topic or have to do with something adjacent to it and you can see the ways that all of your interests are interconnected

Why you think you’re not an interesting person

It’s easy to doubt and feel like you’re not a very interesting person, that you don’t have anything to say or to share that is valuable.

You feel like you’re a boring person.
Why?
- You feel like you have nothing to say or share.
- … Why?
- Because of consuming a lot of content on a daily basis, almost out of habit and boredom,
→ information overload
→ addicted to consuming content (in a mindless way)
→ doomscrolling
→ the intake of input is too high
⇒ too much information
- and you compare yourself.

The blanket advice

“create more than you consume”

is nice BUT incomplete. It’s not enough.

So, the actions to take:

  1. Be aware
  2. Break yourself out of that pattern
  3. Become a better consumer:
    ⇒ intentional consumer
    (or mindful consumer)

How to be more interesTING : take notes with obsidian

One way (not the only way obviously) to be a more intentional consumer and more creative and more interesting:

Take notes.

… but take notes in a SMART way.

How?
Use a system that allows this.
One that works:
→ Zettelkasten!

… somewhat related to digital gardening.

Gardening is a interesting concept here, it entails

  • Work in progress
  • Imbalance
  • Requires nurturing and effort (consistent is better)
  • Growth!
  • Connection

So instead of:
- notes being in files and folders → limiting and restricting
- you have them in ONE open space where they can connect via a system of tag and backlink

Ok so how…?
One tool that works:
→ Obsidian!

Let’s list a couple of reasons why having a digital garden is relevant…

Reason 1: it helps you retain the information

but wait… why does taking notes smartly can even be helpful to begin with?

Retain information.

If you consume content but cannot retain anything valuable for yourself or to share, then what’s the point?
You need information to STICK in your BRAIN.
RETENTION.

Ok ok… retain, register the information is the goal.
… so how can note taking or digital gardening help?

  • You take notes. Actively.
    • → you write in your own words.
  • You take time to think about those notes. SLOW DOWN. PAUSE.
    • → you reflect on the notes, agree, disagree, etc.
    • → you invite your thought process into the conversation.
  • You connect those notes with other notes or thoughts.
    • → this create more food for thought!
      • consolidate your knowledge.

Also, all that originates from this book How to Take Smart Notes

When it comes to learning, curiosity and creativity,
You've got to be slow.

Reason 2: Instant feedback
  • It challenges/tests you put things into your own words to prove your understanding
    • if you can’t do that, it’s an indication that you didn’t register the message, grasp the content properly
Reason 3: this creates a web of information instead of a timeline
  • chronological vs. network that interlinks/connects ideas together

Now what’s a digital garden (in-depth)

  • ~~ your own personal Wikipedia
    ⚠ the goal is not to recreate Wikipedia as a whole, but your own take!!!

(e.g. when you decorate your home with art, your goal is not to copy and recreate another version of The Louvre, but to do it in your own way, with your own twists)

  • It’s totally fine to keep things as pure entertainment only, you don’t need to take notes for every single thing you consume
  • But if you want to keep some takeaways that you want to remember in the long run, take notes my friend

What to write in the source material:

  • What do you want to remember? the themes? the topics? the quotes?
  • What resonates?
  • What did you understand?

And then, make atomic notes from them:

  • i.e. take notes that are decontextualized from the source notes,
  • = these are your thoughts  
  • you can reference the sources, but those are detached ideas and thoughts, they are standalone!!!

Why?

  • it brings your own voice to the conversation
  • vs. source material = your understanding of the source material, of others’ work!

takeaway

Source notes: ABOUT THE SOURCE
Atomic notes: YOUR thoughts

Then now that you have your thoughts… you use tags.
They act as links with other thoughts.

What’s great is that you’ll also discover what interests you through what you consume and what you thing about. You’ll see patterns.

This is self-discovery.
This helps finding your interests, curiosity, questions, creativity, voice.

Some little rules to follow to make a gardennn

ref: https://maggieappleton.com/garden-history/

  1. Topography over timeline: contextual relationship → wikipedia
    1. links, concepts, themes
    2. vs. chronological, journal, blog
  2. Continuous growth
    1. it’s scrappy, it’s always a bit drafty
    2. vs. not carefully crafted, done, final version, essays, blogs
  3. Imperfection and Learning in public
  4. Playful, personal, experimental
    1. vs. homogeneous
    2. → it’s your own arrangement even if we all consume the same input, the output and the execution, the style, everything is your own doing! → this is why you add you own voice and interpretation
  5. Intercropping and Content Diversity
    1. allow exploration of complex ideas with various mediums (pics, texts, videos, codes, movies…)
    2. vs. chronological, fixed
  6. Independent Ownership
    1. = claiming a small patch of the internet

An important thing to remember is also that, the garden should be serving yourself first.
You’re not writing or posting to be seen, but for your own growth.

Ditch the audience. Write and create as if nobody watches.

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