This week, after a long time, I went out and saw some friends. For context, I’m not some antisocial weirdo, there’s a global pandemic taking place, and even worse, we’re in the middle of the exam season. I had a really long and pleasant chat with a dear friend, and it sparked some insight regarding my thinking globally. And I have been thinking about that since.
I am aware that my thoughts only crystallize when I put them onto paper. That in itself should be why I am in love with the Bullet Journal method, not to mention the countless other factors.
But for the first time, I realized how much a good conversation can speed up the thought-forming process. As you hopefully noticed by now I’m a big fan of forming your own opinions, measuring everything against your own judgement instead of having stuff spoon-fed to you.
And during this chat, I realized how many different sources I was referencing from my previous readings when trying to coin arguments on the fly. I was thinking about books and articles and podcasts, and how they related to one another.
It was such a powerful feeling, having my mind synthesize all the consumed info and ideas into arguments, which only became more clear as we tried to dissect them.
And when it was time to say goodbye we both were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the thinking involved in the afternoon, compared to a friendly banter we were expecting. On my way home I was mesmerized by the idea that I can somehow replicate this linked thinking, without having to debate someone.
(Not that I don’t like a good clash of arguments, on the contrary, it’s just there isn’t always a receptive partner for that.)
And while trying to come up with something, I found the Holy Grail of networked thinking.
Digital Gardening.
I opened up my NessLabs newsletter, and there was an entry about a mind garden. The place where you put seeds in (consume info and new ideas), cultivate the saplings (cross-reference with your existing ideas and beliefs), then harvest (produce original ideas). And I instantly fell in love with the idea.
I will try to set up a digital garden on my own, I am yet to find the best way to do that, but it’ll happen soon, and of course, I will link it here, since the public learning idea is quite dear to me.
I will keep you posted, let’s dive in.
As always, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time,
G