Confidence is key when you want to accoplish you goals, personal or professional. I've lacked confidence for almost all my life, but I'm working on it.

Here are my key take-aways as a 32yo procrastinating douchebag:

1/ Don't undermine yourself (see what I did there?).

The worst habit is patting yourself on the back, only to destroy the feeling of accomplishment by telling yourself you're not worth it.

2/ Join a mastermind.

Monthly calls with likeminded people are the best thing when it comes to aligning your actions and goals. Sometimes it's helpful to get a different perspective.

I'm grateful for the monthly advice @camuel @EQuaintmere @kelifancher

3/ Write on a daily basis.

As @camuel will tell you, writing out your thoughts on a daily basis gives your mind some rest. Scientific studies have shown it reduces anxiety and depression. On to journaling!

4/ Do less.

One of my goals this year is to do less. I stole this one from @aktavibes. If it works, it works. Also combining a full time job, your own startup, a family with 2 kids, getting another degree and my desire for content creation are a bit much.

5/ Seek professional help.

I'm not shy when I tell people I see a psychotherapist. It's okay to go to the gym for physical health, so why not keep your mental health in shape with regular check-ups. Also mindfulness and meditation can change your brain chemistry. Have at it!

I'm sharing these as steps I need to follow myself. I haven't mastered them in any way, shape or form. It's a reminder.

Let me know what you think. What steps are you taking this year towards your confidence and mental health?

My go-to steps for my mental health this year.

I'm working on some video ideas. It's still winter, so one of my first videos of the year should be about winter gardening, don't you think?

Here are my top tips for gardening in the winter:

1/ It's important to take some time to prepare your garden for the colder months. Here are some simple steps you can follow to help ensure that your garden is ready for winter and will be healthy and thriving come spring:

2/ Clean up debris: Remove any dead leaves, branches, and debris from your garden. This will help prevent the spread of diseases and pests, and make it easier to spot any problems that may need to be addressed.

3/ Prune shrubs and trees: Prune any overgrown shrubs or damaged branches from trees to encourage healthy growth in the spring. Be sure to use proper pruning techniques to avoid damaging the plants.

4/ Mulch: Adding a layer of mulch to your garden beds can help protect the soil and plants from extreme temperature changes. Mulch also helps retain moisture and suppress weeds.

5/ Protect tender plants: If you have any tender plants that are prone to frost damage, consider moving them indoors or covering them with blankets or burlap to protect them from the cold.

6/ Drain and store hoses: Disconnect and drain all of your hoses before storing them for the winter. If you have any outdoor faucets, be sure to shut off the water supply and wrap them with insulation to prevent them from freezing.

7/ Plant winter vegetables: Depending on your climate, you may be able to plant certain vegetables that thrive in the winter season, such as kale, Brussels sprouts, and root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.

8/ Add winter interest: Consider adding winter-flowering plants, such as pansies or violas, to your garden to provide some color and interest during the colder months.

9/ Repair or replace damaged structures: Now is a good time to repair or replace any damaged fences, gates, or garden structures before the winter weather sets in.

10/ Check for pests: Inspect your plants for any signs of pests, such as aphids or slugs, and take steps to control them if necessary. Pests can be more difficult to control in the winter, so it's important to address any issues before they become a bigger problem.

11/ Fertilize: If you haven't already done so, consider applying a winter fertilizer to your lawn and garden beds to help promote healthy growth in the spring.

By following these steps, you can help ensure that your garden is well-prepared for the winter season and is ready to flourish when spring arrives. Happy winter gardening!

Have questions, thoughts or remarks? Shoot!

My top tips about winter gardening.

I read Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens about a year ago. I have been on a quest to apply his teachings to my own study routine and interests. Here are some core principles I stole like an artist:

1/ Write all the time ✍️
Write in your own words all the time. Make the note a single paragraph long

2/ Everything is knowledge 🧠
Anything you encounter is considered knowledge. When it comes to experiences, memories and even shower thoughts, note them down in your system. Zettelkasten is a non-hierarchical way of organising information, any thought can live inside the system.

3/ Thought is the basic unit of knowledge ❓
Make your notes as irreducable as possible. Just jot down one thought per note. This makes the system work. If you can divide the note in more seperate notes, do it.

4/ Your knowledge is interconnected 🕸️
Once your single-thought paragraph note is finished, consider your other notes in the system. Try to consider the possible connections you might make. The power of the system comes in the quantity and quality of the connections you make.

5/ Trust the system 🤗
It's imperative to just trust the system and apply it on a daily basis. Once you go at it for long enough, the interconnected notes and thoughts will just present themselves to you!

I invite you to try this system over the next couple of weeks if you write blogposts, YouTube scripts or any form of essay.

Have a thought to add? 👇

The core principles of the Zettelkasten system

After reading 'Smart Notes' by Sönke Ahrens, I was hooked on the Zettelkasten Method. Unfortunately, the book doens't practically teach you how to get started with a Zettelkasten.  Here's my current "method"👇

/1: Assemble Resources 📖📺

I have a few go-to sources for the topics I'm interested in (blogs, YouTube Channels, Podcasts, etc). Going through them is like digging for gold. I stumble across stuff I never would have thought about. That's my starting point.

🔍 Google is my friend. I'll add the search results on the first 10 pages to @instapaper. Cool thing about Google is it will recommend  similar stuff other people have searched for.

Not only do “related searches” help you on your way, autocomplete gives a notion of what title to use for your endproduct!

📽️ Youtube Search is a goldmine. I'd add the first 20 videos to a @NotionHQ database for further reference. I'll keep a swipe file with information I couldn't find in these videos (so I can add it to mine) and a swipe file for cool editing decisions like intro's, transitions, etc

📕 Goodreads could be a possible mentor. I'll Look for the 10 best rated books on the topic. Then I decide if I want to read them.

/2: Add resources to Zettelkasten 📝 

This is the hardest part. I'll take notes on everything I've assembled during the previous step. My notes include things that jump out, things I didn't know or need to flesh out. These Literature Notes are saved for later reference.

The most important aspect of this step is to phrase all the notes in your own words. Flesh it out into full paragraphs within the context of your note. Later on, I'll turn certain paragraphs into a stand-alone Permanent Note. These get strung together with tags, references, etc

Another way to come up with your Permanent Notes, is to turn each paragraph into it's own file. If you're lost for words, use my dirty little secret: quillbot.com

💡 The difference between a paragraph of a literature note and a permanent note is the way context plays a role: permanent notes can stand on their own, without additional context from other paragraphs

I use @obsdmd for my Zettelkasten Method. It's free to use. If I ever decide to change to something else, my notes will be easily transferred. I backup my Obsidian Vault on my SSD with all my footage, scripts, Cubase Plugins, Instruments, etc.

/3: A Map of Content for the subject will kickstart your project. I use search function to find relevant permanent notes and add them to one file (click and drag is awesome!)

Preview mode in Obsidian gives you a peak at what your finished blogpost/article or script might look like. As long as you write out your Permanent notes in your own words, you're pretty much creating blogposts in auto-mode.

⭐⭐ What's your Zettelkasten Method process for scraping the internet? Let me know! 👇👇

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/rbn_dvs/HjyZFLlIg3T9