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Introduction
Using the information you receive is the most important part. Just consuming
information won’t change anything. In this ebook, we’ll cover:
● How to organize your notes
● How to take notes (from videos or books)
● How to use information effectively
○ How to change habits
○ How to finish tasks
● How to not forget anything (a reminder system)
How to sort notes
First, you’ll need a note-taking app (since it will likely all be on your phone for
convenience). This could be (not sponsored): Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, or Notion.
However, you can use any other app (e.g., a pre-installed one) that lets you create folders
with individual note blocks.
Primarily, you will organize notes based on the source of the information. The reason for
not organizing by topic is that sometimes, for example, a video might cover two topics at
once, making it hard to keep things organized. So, one folder for books (including
audiobooks), one for videos, another for online articles, and so on (the exact breakdown
is up to you).
From there, sort by practicality until you get down to a specific book or video. Simply
organize in a way that lets you quickly find the note you’re looking for.
Always try to set up categories so that you almost never end up with something that’s
"halfway" between categories. However, this won’t always be
avoidable (e.g., using authors as categories can be practical, but
they may collaborate with one another).
Finally, a simple but important tip: Since you’ll probably have
other types of notes (e.g., when
creating a document), it’s a good
idea to put all these folders into one
larger folder labeled something like
“information.” This way, unrelated
notes won’t get mixed up with your
notes on consumed information.
How to take notes
Use bullet points, sub-bullets, and sub-sub-bullets
instead of headings and subheadings. Bullets are
faster and more organized.
A useful tip is to take screenshots or photos of
something in a book or a video if it’s
well-structured, doesn’t have too much text, or
includes an important image. Don’t overdo it,
though; it’s still better to write everything in your
own words using bullet points. This helps you process the information better and
remember it more easily.
Always organize as you go. For example, if you know a video is a list of seven things,
write out seven bullet points beforehand and fill them in as you go. Preparing in advance
makes your notes easier to navigate later.
Occasionally, pause your reading or video to review and organize what you’ve written.
However, don’t overdo the shortening. What seems clear now might be harder to
understand later.
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Summary
● Choose a note-taking app.
● Organize notes by type of source, then by practicality.
● When taking notes:
○ Use bullet points.
○ Use screenshots if helpful.
○ Organize as you go.
○ Don’t over-shorten.
How to use the information
First, turn your bullet points into a list of tasks that you
can check off.
Pick the information you want to use.
Then, come up with what you need to do to consider the
information you are trying to use as used.
Let’s say that everything you come up with is going to be
either a habit to change (build or get rid of) or a task to
complete.
The difference is simple:
A task is something you do a specific number of times (can be once).
A habit is something you do repeatedly over a set time period.
For example:
"Clean the room once" is a task.
"Clean the room once a week" is a habit.
You could debate if something you do only once a year is a habit. For simplicity, let’s say
anything with a time frame (during which it repeats) is a habit, and anything without
one is a task. So even something done once a year would be a habit.
So, figure out which habits you need to change (build or break) and which tasks you
need to complete. Write them down as a sub-task under the piece of information you are
trying to use.
Before you start changing habits or completing tasks, ask yourself if it’s truly a good idea
to do those things. Consider your goals and any possible side effects of doing them.
So now you have a list of things (habits or tasks) to do to consider the information as
used. To complete them, you should again come up with what to do.
So, try to, again, come up with habits to change and tasks to complete, but here, use the
tactics below as a framework for doing so.
If you want to, you can then write the things you come
up with down as (smaller) sub-bullets/sub-tasks under
the main habit or task you are trying to complete, but it
isn't required.
How many tactics you need to use obviously depends on
how difficult the thing at hand is.
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Tactics to change habits
● Define
○ Always do this (even with simple habits).
○ A definition of a habit should include what you want to do and how many
times in what time period you want to do so.
○ You can tell that a habit is well-defined by being able to quickly say if you
have completed it on a given day or not. For example, “exercise often and a
lot” is the exact opposite of what you want. If you were to define this, you
might say, “exercise for 1.5 hours every day,” and even better, you could
specify what “exercise” means to you (such as a dedicated time for physical
activity or a specific activity like running).
○ Simply put, try to define what you want to do as clearly as you can, because
if you don’t even properly know what you’re supposed to do, it’s very
difficult to do it.
○ Then determine how long you need to be consistent with the habit change
to consider the habit as changed. For instance, if you don’t skip a daily
habit for 3 weeks, you might consider it complete.
○ Write the definition down instead of the original description of what to do.
● Mindset
○ Clearly state or realize the reasons why you want to change a certain habit.
■ In general, many habits can be changed simply by having strong
enough reasons to do so, which force you to act. This step is
therefore very important, but don’t rely solely on it or on motivation
to change a habit. Use other strategies as well to increase your
chances of successfully changing the habit.
○ Try to identify in advance what your limiting beliefs and excuses will be,
and come up with the counter-arguments right away.
○ Then, look (for example, online) at the specific mindset you should adopt
to achieve better results in a given habit. For instance, in dieting, it’s
beneficial to view it as a new lifestyle, not as a tool you’ll stop using at
some point.
○ Write the reasons, counter-arguments, and useful mindsets down.
○ Keep the note visible.
○ You can then periodically (for example once per day) repeat them out loud
or to yourself to remind yourself of the mindset.
● Start light
○ From experience, this is one of the best techniques for changing habits.
Most people fail at habits like exercising because they try to start by
working out for an hour a day right from the start, which they can’t sustain
for long. The issue with larger habits, such as exercising, is that at the start,
there are many surrounding things to learn (e.g., what to bring to the gym,
how to get there, etc.). Combined with the fact that the habit itself is
difficult at this stage, it becomes overwhelming.
○ The most common reasons people don't use these tactics are then internal:
either it is impatience or overconfidence (ego). If you’re someone who
wants results immediately, remember that you’ve likely done almost
nothing up to this point, and the real weakness is being unable to be
patient and ease into habit change gradually. If you think you’re special
and can handle everything from the start, recognize that this mindset
might actually block your success here rather than help.
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○ If you decide to use this tactic, here is how it works:
■ First, reduce the habit. Simplify it as much as possible without
losing the need of doing all the stuff around the habit itself.
■ You can set up a series of increasingly harder and harder habits that
will lead you to the complete one.
■ Write down this reduced habit (or habits) as part of what needs to
be done to complete the full habit (as the sub-bullets/sub-tasks).
■ For now, stop thinking about what else to do to change the complete
habit and focus on the reduced one, which means again using these
tactics for it (starting with definition).
● Find the time
○ Firstly, sometimes it’s not possible to do this, for example, with habits that
depend on specific situations (e.g., when I’m stressed, I’ll do a breathing
exercise).
○ If it is possible, start by defining how long the habit will take. Sometimes
you will be able to define this very specifically and sometimes not at all.
○ Next, define your daily (or weekly or even longer) schedule, meaning the
habits you already have (it may not always be completely filled, but it can).
■ To avoid having to do this repeatedly, write your schedule down in a
calendar.
● You can use any app (e.g., as mentioned, Evernote has one,
or common options include Google Calendar, Apple
Calendar, or Microsoft Outlook).
○ For habits you want to build:
■ Find (online) the optimal/recommended times to do the habits and
when to, on the other hand, avoid doing them.
■ Identify constraints on when you can do the habit (e.g., the gym
might close at a certain time).
■ Find available time slots in your schedule or prioritize the habit and
replace another activity with it (obviously if it makes sense
regarding your goals).
■ Consider combining the habit with another activity (multitasking)
without significantly reducing the habit’s benefits (this isn’t always
possible).
■ Decide when in your schedule you will do the habit and adjust your
calendar accordingly.
○ For habits you want to get rid of or limit
■ Identify when you typically engage in the bad habit. This could be:
● A specific time (e.g., at 3 PM)
● A place in your schedule (e.g., after one activity and before
another)
● Directly tied to another habit
● Or any other indicator of “when” you do it
■ If it’s tied to a specific time or slot in your schedule, fill that time
with other activities.
● Ideally, these activities are easy and punishing to skip (for
example, they involve other people).
● Update your calendar.
■ If you identify another habit that triggers this bad habit (even if it’s
not directly before it), consider whether this habit truly serves as the
trigger. Reflect on whether you can modify this trigger habit so it no
longer leads to the bad habit or if it needs to be entirely removed.
Evaluate whether removing it aligns with your goals. If you decide
to remove it, you can use these same tactics for doing so once again.
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● Find the environment
○ A general tip for rapidly changing multiple habits at once is to completely
change your environment (which doesn’t always mean moving to a
completely different place). If you do this, your brain starts reassociating
specific new spaces with activities (habits). If you’re mindful of which
habits you associate with which places, you can completely transform your
daily routine.
○ For habits you want to build:
■ Find (online) the optimal/recommended places to do the habits and
where to, on the other hand, avoid doing them.
■ Identify constraints (that depend on something else) on where you
can do the habit.
■ Assign one place per habit.
● This helps your body associate the location with the habit,
making it easier to stick to (e.g., a bed for sleeping or an
office for work).
■ Decide where you will do this habit.
○ For habits you want to limit or eliminate:
■ Reflect on where you typically fail. It can be:
● A specific location
● A general environmental condition (e.g., untidy spaces)
● A particular object you use or are around
● Or any other indicator of “where” you do it
■ If you identify something (place, thing, or environment
characteristic) that triggers this bad habit, consider whether it truly
serves as the trigger. Think about if you can modify it so it no longer
leads to the bad habit or if it needs to be entirely removed. Evaluate
whether removing it aligns with your goals.
● Prepare
○ For habits you want to build:
■ Prethink everything you can.
● For example, make a list of things to bring or figure out how
to get to the location.
■ Prepare as much of the physical things around the habit in advance.
● Download the apps, prepare your clothes or the whole bag,
etc.
● Buy everything you’ll need or anything that will make the
process easier.
○ The reason for this is that the more money you invest
in building the habit, the less likely you’ll want to give
it up, as that would feel like wasted money. If you’re
serious about it and have the budget, don’t hesitate to
buy everything you’ll need right away. For example,
why wait to get good running shoes if you know you’ll
be running regularly?
■ Prepare the environment
● This means going to the place where you’ll practice the habit
and walking through exactly what you’ll do there. Based on
that, prepare everything in advance. Bring and, if possible,
leave there all the necessary items, etc. (You could even
intentionally leave something there you’ll have to return for
anyway.)
● You can also set up everything on the way to the location.
You are simply trying to remove as many steps between you
and the habit as possible.
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○ For habits you want to limit or completely get rid of:
■ Get rid of all the things associated with that habit.
● For example, delete all the accounts on the video games you
want to stop playing, delete the video games themselves,
throw out the console, etc.
● There is no reason to keep the things if you want to stop
using them.
■ Block all possible paths to engaging in the bad habit.
● Try to make it literally impossible for you to do the habit.
● If you can't do so, then at least add as many steps in between
you and the habit as you can (e.g. app blockers).
● Foresee failure
○ Think about what could go wrong. Try to visualize you doing the habit or
trying to avoid it and failing. Why would you fail?
■ This could involve limiting beliefs we talked about, so take another
moment to reflect on these.
■ However, the main focus here should be on practical (physical)
issues.
○ After you have some ideas on how you can fail, obviously come up with
how to prevent them from happening.
● Reminders
○ The most common types of reminders are time-based reminders and
environmental ones.
○ Time-based reminders
■ These are the ones you probably know well.
■ It can be an alarm, a notification, or anything based on a given time.
■ To make them work, you obviously need to know at what time you
are going to want to do a certain thing.
○ Environmental reminders
■ Here you use a physical object (or something in the electronic
world, but simply something that can be seen) to later remind you
of something when you see it.
■ It can be anything, like a widget among your apps, a piece of paper
on the floor, or just some object in the household that you move so
that you notice it later because it’s not in the right place.
● It is useful to set up the reminder so that it is in your way
when you want it to remind you. For example, something
that is across your whole screen or something that you would
step on before entering a room.
■ It can be useful when you don't know the exact time you are going to
want to do a given thing, but you know where you are likely going to
be when you want to be reminded.
■ You can also use them when you don't have time to set a reminder
on your phone. As said, you can just quickly move some object in
your environment in a way that it stands out. When you then pass
by it, you will get reminded of why you moved it.
○ Overall, you can either use reminders to tell you that you should do
something or that you shouldn't do it.
■ With the reminders that tell you you shouldn't do some habit:
● It’s generally worth considering whether to use it or not.
Sometimes it’s useful (e.g., if you’ve been on social media for
a long time, having a reminder every 10 minutes isn’t bad),
but sometimes it unnecessarily reminds you that there’s an
option to do the bad habit, and it sticks in your mind instead
of you forgetting about it (e.g., reminding yourself that you
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●
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have sweets at home and that you shouldn’t eat them right
now doesn’t sound like a good idea).
● You might use this more in the way that you will get
reminded only when you are about to or doing the bad habit.
You might, for instance, go to some place where you do a bad
habit, intentionally or not, and by seeing an environmental
reminder, you’ll turn around.
Accountability & community
○ People naturally care about what others think of them, and if you use this
to your advantage by finding a partner on the same journey, you’ll
significantly increase your chances of success. At the same time, you can
share advice, which will speed up your progress even more.
○ Find someone who is either on the same journey, has already achieved
what you want to accomplish and avoids what you want to avoid, or is even
an expert in the field, such as a fitness trainer.
■ You can find such people online, although it’s best to have someone
in real life, and ideally someone you won’t stop seeing if you give up
on changing the habit (like a family member).
○ On the other hand, avoid people who have habits you don't want and aren't
looking to or seeing success in changing.
○ In both cases, it doesn't need to be one person; it can be a whole
community to join or leave.
Reward & punishment
○ Ideally, it should be something connected to the habit, instant (so the
reward or punishment happens immediately after performing the given
habit), and something that doesn’t undermine the habit you’re trying to
build. For example, while it might work for some people, rewarding
yourself with a sweet treat every time you stick to your diet for a whole day
doesn’t make sense from a mindset perspective. If you’re trying to eat
healthy, seeing unhealthy things as rewards rather than punishments
might not be beneficial.
○ It should also be something you’ll actually do, not something overly
exaggerated. On the other hand, if you label something as a punishment, it
should truly feel like a punishment (if you enjoy exercising, doing ten
push-ups isn’t a punishment for you).
Evaluate
○ You might, for instance, evaluate how you have done regarding some habit
at the end of every day or week.
○ If you didn't do well, look at what led to it and try to do it less.
○ If you did well, look at what led to it and try to do it more.
Habit tracker
○ You can use an app, but it’s usually better to use something
physical where you can clearly see your history. Simply create
a table on paper, writing the abbreviation of your habit at the
top, e.g., “read,” as shown in the example. Under each
abbreviation, draw a column of squares (or rectangles), with
each square representing one opportunity to perform the habit
until your chosen end day of the table.
○ Then, you just fill in a checkmark if you completed the habit or
a cross if you didn’t. The best time to fill it out is right after the
opportunity to perform the habit ends, but you can also do it
at another time, just set a specific time for it. If you have at
least one habit that happens once or more times per day, it’s a
good idea to fill in the table at least once a day.
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○ If it’s a habit that’s unplannable, as discussed in the section on finding
time for habits, this method might not be as effective, unless you always
add a square each time you had an opportunity to perform the habit
(define what you consider an opportunity) and immediately fill in whether
you took advantage of it or not.
○ Try to avoid having squares with crosses, keep the chain of checkmarks
unbroken, and as a general tip, never skip twice.
● Plan periodically
○ You can, for example, plan every evening so that you have the next day
mapped out.
○ A planning framework:
■ You can first make a basic plan.
■ Then, if you have time, think about how it could fail and improve it.
■ Then, if you again have time, visualize every single step you are
going to take. You might find out about more details that will
further improve your plan.
● Prepare periodically
○ Once you have a plan, you might find that there is something you could
prepare (maybe for the next day).
○ This tactic also includes all the basic periodic preparation you need to do
for some habit, like cleaning the dirty clothes from the gym or any other
type of preparation we talked about, like preparing the environment.
Tactics to finish tasks
You can pretty much use the same tactics as for changing habits; they will only look a bit
differently, and some of them you’ll only use with big tasks (like more long-term goals).
● Define
○ Always do this (even with simple tasks).
○ A definition of a task should include what you want to do and how many
times you want to do it (if it is once, it doesn't need to be mentioned).
○ You can again tell if a task is well-defined by being able to quickly and
easily answer the question of whether you have completed it or not.
○ Write the definition down instead of the original description of what to do.
● Mindset
○ It is pretty much the same as with habits. You will most likely use it with
big, long-term tasks, not with the small everyday ones.
● Start light
○ It is basically the same as with habits, except that here you are reducing a
task, not a habit.
● Find the time
○ Just as with habits to build, look at how long a task will take (if it can be
estimated), when it’s good to do it, and when it’s possible based on who or
what else you need for it.
○ Then, decide when specifically you’re going to do it and schedule it.
■ Usually, you have specific times set for doing various tasks of the
same type (housework, work, etc.). These are basically habits,
except that each time you do something slightly different.
Nevertheless, you can treat them as habits, which means they go
into your calendar, and you aim to be consistent with them, etc.
■ For most people, it’s good to have a specific time set aside to
complete tasks related to using information. Some tasks, for
example, will relate to your job or household chores, so you can
integrate them into those times, but for others, you should reserve
this separate time.
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■ So, if you’re looking to find time for a task, you just assign it to some
of the windows in your schedule where you do tasks of a similar
kind (it can be the window for completing tasks to use information
or any other).
● You can use a task list app (e.g., Evernote, Microsoft To Do,
Google Tasks, or Todoist), or you can keep tasks directly in
notes (organized separately from information-related notes)
as task bullet points that you use.
● Name the category according to
the type of tasks (e.g.,
“thinking” or “housework”), or
based on the time block in your
schedule where you’ll complete
them (e.g., “going home”).
○ It’s good to always have tasks planned at least a day ahead, but don’t plan
two weeks ahead because plans tend to change, and your task list would be
too long. If you plan for multiple days, add a date to the tasks or assign
one, and optionally, you can add a time (most apps have scheduling
features for when you’ll do a task).
● Find the environment
○ It is the environment where you do the habit of completing some tasks of
the same kind, so once you choose the time for a task, you will usually
know the environment.
● Preparing, foreseeing failure, using reminders, accountability & community, and
reward & punishment are all the same as with habits, and some of them you will
only use with bigger tasks.
Summary
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●
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Turn bullet points into task bullet points
Pick the information
Come up with habits to change and tasks to complete to use the information
Ask if it is a good idea to actually change or complete those
If yes, use these tactics to do so
Once you complete anything, obviously check it off.
When you are done using some information, pick another one.
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A reminder system
If you found something that needs to be done later, when finding the time for it, you
might consider using this reminder system to avoid forgetting anything.
You can create a folder with notes, where you have 5 notebooks.
4 of them are used to write down things you don't know
exactly when you'll be able to use. As the names of these
notebooks, you use how long approximately you think it will
take until you’ll be able to use the things. So, you make a note
for things for less than or exactly a week (probably not many,
you'll usually already write them into your todo list), less than
or exactly a month but more than a week, less than or exactly
a year but more than a month, and more than a year.
In the 5th notebook, you’ll have things where you know when
(e.g., a date or even a time) you’ll be able to use them.
In all the notebooks, you always write down in bullet points
the situation (or date) that must occur for you to be able to
use the thing, and then the thing itself. If multiple things
depend on one situation (or date), you can write the situation
as a main point and the things to do in it as subpoints.
You then set a reminder to check whether it’s time for
something. You check the “less than a week” note every day,
the “less than a month” and the one with exact dates every
week, the “less than a year” every month, and the “more than
a year” every year.
If it’s time for something, you remove it from these notes and
start using it. If something, for example, moves from the category that could be in a year
to something that will be within a month, then you move it accordingly.
Of course, like anything from this system overall, you can use this for personal things as
well, not just for using information.
How to get onto this system
● Make time for it (it can just be a couple of minutes per day)
● During that time, then:
○ Pick a note-taking app.
○ Organize the notes of information you already have.
○ Pick a calendar app.
○ Put your schedule into the calendar.
○ Pick a task list app.
○ Pick some information to use and follow the rest of the system.
○ If needed, get onto the reminder system we described.
Outro
First, thank you for reading until the end.
If you have any questions or feedback, you can definitely let us know in the community.
You can also share your wins (regarding, for example, changing your habits) and tell
other people about some tips you discovered along the way.
I’m excited to hear from you.
Thomas Dvorak
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