Can I ask how you are combining? Are you preparing a bigger work combining it all together like e.g. a book) or are you just more conscious that each new contribution builds on an earlier one or a narrative? How are you doing this? If you want to share?
I could tell you that I have an efficient Personal Knowledge Management System in which I diligently annotate notes, observations, snippets and quotations. That I systematically review them with a critical mind creating ordered clusters of notes aggregating around my topics of interests. And that, finally, I review in a disciplined and ordered way the piles of accumulating drafts by researching the ideas looking for evidences and connections. So that I can finally rewrite each draft into a coherent and flowing final copy.
But that would be the wildest of my dreams.
The truth is: I am submerged by sparse notes linked by not always meaningful links, piling up like wet sands flowing through my fingers. That gives a robust sense of confusion, frustration and lack of achievement.
But there is something happening recently. I'm starting to gather a critical mass of those sparse captured thoughts. I built the good habit of capturing a lot of my observations into my Active Archive. And nice serendipitous meetings with relevant ideas are happening more and more, recently.
But you know what is the most powerful force for me to combine thoughts? Events like this one: a good friend asking a question.
I am not sure about the phenomenon but when somebody asks me something my brains goes on autopilot: I don't need notes nor tools. I see connections in front of my mental eyes and I feel the urge of illustrating what I see.
And you know what? That is exactly what happened now, because of your question.
I think, in the end, at least for now, the best way I find to combine ideas is to do two main things:
1) Never stop being curious and capturing as much as possible all of my observations into a safe and accessible place: my Active Archive.
2) Looking for, or creating the context for generating forces: writing a post for my newsletter and my blog, interviewing a friend in a podcast and gathering external stimuli as yours: questions, comments and other inspiration.
I don't think this is exhaustive and I would have a ton of additions to make but you made my day!
Now I would be curious to know what you think about my way of combining. I've been following your posts and articles for about 10 years now. I love the connections you make in your posts: one clear idea, briefly explained, beautifully illustrated with unique and tasteful illustrations, frequently supported by evidence and references. But most of all I find valuable the continuity and the consistency of your editorial line: always on the subject. Reinforcing the key concepts. Provoking with deep questions. I would consider that approach a model to follow.
I always picture you writing a range of books or making artwork (or some format) helping people see connections and meanings in things that others wouldn't look at, make sense of or see.. To quote Baker in The Peregrine: "The hardest thing of all to see is what is really there" or Thoreau in Walden: "it's not what you look at, but what you see" ..
I was curious if you'd started your grand project yet, beyond the pieces you are working on today. Your opus.
I work in the other direction (or maybe it's the same?). I'm trying to find a key (a tone) in all the noise. A small key opening a bigger door to an even bigger room.
There was this TED-talk by Nobel price winner Murray Gell-Mann back in 2007 where he talked about the beauty and symmetry of mathematics. I'm trying to find symmetrical (simple, clear, intuitive) keys solving difficult problems. So that anyone can have access to solve these problems.
My online postings to me is an exploration towards what becomes simpler and simpler (more and more symmetrical) for people to understand. Giving them access to what used to be very complicated...
The journey is long though, and along the path I've produced more noise, more atoms swirling around. Now I'm also trying to connect them in one place / thing / melody, like a swarm of drones on the sky turning into images as code is being sent / shared.
I think that's what I'm doing / why I'm doing it. :)
Hi Max
Can I ask how you are combining? Are you preparing a bigger work combining it all together like e.g. a book) or are you just more conscious that each new contribution builds on an earlier one or a narrative? How are you doing this? If you want to share?
Hi Helge!
I could tell you that I have an efficient Personal Knowledge Management System in which I diligently annotate notes, observations, snippets and quotations. That I systematically review them with a critical mind creating ordered clusters of notes aggregating around my topics of interests. And that, finally, I review in a disciplined and ordered way the piles of accumulating drafts by researching the ideas looking for evidences and connections. So that I can finally rewrite each draft into a coherent and flowing final copy.
But that would be the wildest of my dreams.
The truth is: I am submerged by sparse notes linked by not always meaningful links, piling up like wet sands flowing through my fingers. That gives a robust sense of confusion, frustration and lack of achievement.
But there is something happening recently. I'm starting to gather a critical mass of those sparse captured thoughts. I built the good habit of capturing a lot of my observations into my Active Archive. And nice serendipitous meetings with relevant ideas are happening more and more, recently.
But you know what is the most powerful force for me to combine thoughts? Events like this one: a good friend asking a question.
I am not sure about the phenomenon but when somebody asks me something my brains goes on autopilot: I don't need notes nor tools. I see connections in front of my mental eyes and I feel the urge of illustrating what I see.
And you know what? That is exactly what happened now, because of your question.
I think, in the end, at least for now, the best way I find to combine ideas is to do two main things:
1) Never stop being curious and capturing as much as possible all of my observations into a safe and accessible place: my Active Archive.
2) Looking for, or creating the context for generating forces: writing a post for my newsletter and my blog, interviewing a friend in a podcast and gathering external stimuli as yours: questions, comments and other inspiration.
I don't think this is exhaustive and I would have a ton of additions to make but you made my day!
Now I would be curious to know what you think about my way of combining. I've been following your posts and articles for about 10 years now. I love the connections you make in your posts: one clear idea, briefly explained, beautifully illustrated with unique and tasteful illustrations, frequently supported by evidence and references. But most of all I find valuable the continuity and the consistency of your editorial line: always on the subject. Reinforcing the key concepts. Provoking with deep questions. I would consider that approach a model to follow.
Hi Massimo
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. :)
I always picture you writing a range of books or making artwork (or some format) helping people see connections and meanings in things that others wouldn't look at, make sense of or see.. To quote Baker in The Peregrine: "The hardest thing of all to see is what is really there" or Thoreau in Walden: "it's not what you look at, but what you see" ..
I was curious if you'd started your grand project yet, beyond the pieces you are working on today. Your opus.
I work in the other direction (or maybe it's the same?). I'm trying to find a key (a tone) in all the noise. A small key opening a bigger door to an even bigger room.
There was this TED-talk by Nobel price winner Murray Gell-Mann back in 2007 where he talked about the beauty and symmetry of mathematics. I'm trying to find symmetrical (simple, clear, intuitive) keys solving difficult problems. So that anyone can have access to solve these problems.
My online postings to me is an exploration towards what becomes simpler and simpler (more and more symmetrical) for people to understand. Giving them access to what used to be very complicated...
The journey is long though, and along the path I've produced more noise, more atoms swirling around. Now I'm also trying to connect them in one place / thing / melody, like a swarm of drones on the sky turning into images as code is being sent / shared.
I think that's what I'm doing / why I'm doing it. :)