A weekly newsletter where I help people apply values-based productivity principles and systems for personal growth, primarily using Obsidian. Subscribe if you want to make more of your notes and ideas.
đź“š The Ultimate Lifehack
Recently I was reflecting on what sort of advice I might give myself if I could go back 20 years and speak to the 18-year-old me. I found there are lots of practical things I could share, but I quickly realized that if I had only one thing to share, it was obvious what it would be:
Start buying books and reading as much as you possibly can.
(Sorry, I know it's not really a lifehack. Actually, I don't believe in those. But I do believe that by consistently taking small action you can significantly improve your life.)
There’s an old adage that leaders are readers. In other words, if you develop a consistent reading habit, you can’t help but grow.
One of my dreams is to someday have a library with one of those ladders to reach the books because there are so many.
Business mogul Warren Buffett once responded to a visitor asking him about his key to success by pointing to a stack of books on his desk and saying,
Now, I like to think of myself as a voracious reader (we cover 26 books a year just for the Bookworm podcast). But even I have a long ways to go before I get to that level.
But I have found that reading so many books has vastly increased my knowledge and understanding of the world - even if that knowledge pales in comparison to Mr. Buffett’s. The real value of a book is not in the convincing nature of the arguments posed by the author. It is in the comparison of those arguments against everything else you have ever read.
Mortimer Adler calls this Syntopical Reading in his classic How to Read a Book. By reading books, you are collecting ideas (even ones you don’t necessarily agree with) and your brain is constantly comparing these ideas and connecting the dots to ultimately deliver what you truly believe.
Notice I specifically said reading books. The Internet has made it easy to access information, but the truths that have stood the test of time still exist as good ol’ paper books.
In other words, books are where the good stuff is.
Today, I immediately buy any book recommendation I receive (as long as it comes from someone whose opinion I respect). I probably buy about 50 books a year this way. If the book sounds interesting at all, I buy it right then and there. That way I always have another book I want to read ready to go when I finish one.
18-year-old me would probably argue that books aren’t cheap. But I would still encourage past me to start building your library as soon as you can. Even if you haven’t read all those books yet, simply having them helps reinforce a regular reading habit.
But if you are on a really tight budget, you can actually get all the benefits of buying those books for FREE. All you have to do is get a library card. You can get access to some of the most brilliant minds the world has ever seen, provided you show enough initiative to show up at your local library.
That’s actually how I started my own quest for knowledge. I borrowed a bunch of books, and reading those books ended up changing my life.
And it could change your life too.
If you don’t know where to start, pick something that you are currently struggling with. In my experience, I’m more interested and engaged with books that I’m reading to solve a particular problem I’m facing. And if you want a personalized recommendation, just reply to this email and let me know what you’re looking for 🙂
Until next time - keep going, keep growing, and keep reading!
— Mike
NEW VIDEO: Journaling in Obsidian Using Daily Questions
Have you ever had trouble getting a journaling habit to stick? You're not alone. Despite knowing all the benefits of a regular journaling habit, I had trouble with consistency for YEARS. Then in 2020, I came across the concept of Daily Questions. By focusing on the intention instead of the outcome, I eliminated the friction and made daily journaling effortless.
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Recent podcast episodes
​Focused Episode #153: A Wandering Mind, with Kourosh Dini​
Kourosh Dini is back to talk about being with the work and the dark side of flow.
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​Bookworm Episode #146: Bittersweet by Susan Cain​
Joe & I explore what bittersweetness can teach us about compassion, leadership, spirituality, mortality, and love.
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​The Intentional Family Episode #58: An Interview on Fatherhood​
Rachel interviewed me about some of the intentional routines I've established, and the different ways I redeem the time to make the most of the moments we have together as a family.
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This Week's Sermon Sketchnote Video
(Almost) every Sunday, I take sketchnotes of my Pastor's sermon and post them to my website. Here's my sketchnote from June 12th, 2022.
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Practical PKM
by Mike Schmitz
A weekly newsletter where I help people apply values-based productivity principles and systems for personal growth, primarily using Obsidian. Subscribe if you want to make more of your notes and ideas.
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