Taking Notes By Andy Sporring - Issue #56

June 06, 2022

Hi again!

The work on my and Alessandra's upcoming podcast continues. We have settled for a name and a direction now. "The Tibetian bell" is the working title, and it will hopefully go live with the first episode this week. (Fingers crossed!)

Two weeks ago I changed my name to Andy, instead of Anders. The main reason for the change was that I needed a change after all the hardship I've gone through. I'm now at a very good place in life. Read my article "A Magical Year" linked down here.

I might change newsletter provider soon, Beehiiv looks like it can be my new one but I'm not doing any changes right away, and I will let you know when I'm doing that change.

#OnMyReadingList

How to live is at first sight a rather confusing book. But reading it revealed that this book might the most important book this year. The title is 27 conflicting questions and one weird conclusion, and it's so right!

My takeaways:

  • Being independent means you can’t blame others

  • Ignore other aspects of your life

  • Focus your attention on the few things you’re committed to, and nothing else

  • Always forward, never back

  • Learning is underrated

  • Respond to life’s events however you want

  • Follow a great book

  • Be a stranger in a stranger's land

Show that you're interested

  • Ask open-ended questions

  • Allow silence

  • Be warm, open, and fully present with everyone you encounter

  • Don't aim to just be comfortable

  • Refuse the comfortable addiction of a steady paycheck

  • Take risky action

  • Use other people's ideas

  • Own and control 100% of whatever you create

  • Avoid competition

  • Invent something completely new

  • Learn about people to empathize with them

  • Actively listen to people

  • Never try to fix something that is broken

Imitate your heroes, but don't copy

  • Originality just means hiding your sources

  • Separate creation and release

  • When you've finished work, wait a while before you release it to the world

  • By then, you're on to something new

My Recent Articles

Why do we take notes? This question is needed to be answered by us, the knowledge workers. The true purpose, motivation, and rewards behind searching, collecting, and knowledge we need for our own…

Sometimes when I look at my writing, I think: OMG have I written all those essays and articles. That’s a lot of words. And the other day when me and my fiancee Miriam looked at my camera equipment…

I take a retrospective walk down the memory lane of the past year that has changed everything for me. It all started with me getting more and more depressed where I was living; I had gotten more and…

We all have stories about how the Pandemic affected us in various ways. Some people lost so much during it, and others even prospered in it. I have friends that broke up or got a divorce during it…

I was recently asked about my secret to being consistent, and at first, I didn’t know what to answer. I ‘DO’ and aren’t asking questions, not ‘WHY.’ But given the question, I had to do some deep…

Five Links I Find Interesting

Tiny summary but detailed notes for each. Use the ISBN number to find it from your local library or anywhere else. This page will constantly update as I read more, so bookmark it if you want to check back in a few months.

Spotify stole podcasts from the company that brought them to where they are today. How did Spotify do it? Learn the strategies.

Have you used any web highlighters? It helps us improve our productivity by copying and pasting important texts you’ve found online automatically, saving good articles in your directory, and…

Memories are what we are made of.

How Readwise Became An Indispensable Part Of My Knowledge Management Workflow. I’ve been known to be opinionated about Readwise. In fact, a year ago I wrote an essay titled: Why I Refuse To Use Readwise..

Things & Stuff

Looks promising

I use Day One as my journaling app

Bullet journaling has become popular recently—it’s great for relaxation and mental health and can also help with productivity and organization. While paper bullet journals are common, bullet journal apps are also gaining popularity, as they are a more convenient, private, and easy way to write.

Not The End, But....