Navigate the age of abundance

Be more productive than you ever thought possible

We are swimming through an ocean of information. It ebbs and flows, continuous waves of various shapes and sizes, and sometimes we get to use this information abundance to move our proverbial needle forward.

Consider a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system to capture information, recall on-demand and make connections; to be the right kind of busy. Build a system to help you make sense of it over time.

A Second Brain system by Tiago Forte to spark some ideas:

Check out the rest of The Illustrative Notes by the talented Maggie Appleton.

It might look complex, but the core foundation is simple: make information work for you. Build a quick and simple system to jot down ideas and thoughts, and followup if and when needed. Build as you go, as priorities or opportunities allow, and at your own pace.

The human brain is non-linear: we jump from idea to idea, all the time. Your second brain should work the same…Tend to your notes like a gardener; at the end of the day, sit back and marvel at your own knowledge graph.
— Obsidian.MD

Here are some quick tips as you dive in:

• Use any tool you feel comfortable with at the moment (e.g., Obsidian, Notion, Evernote). Portability is critical, so ease of use across devices is more important than the “right” tool.
• The first step is to start writing daily, don’t complicate things just yet. The goal is to be able to jot stuff down before you forget. And get back to stuff as opportunity allows, not because you have to.
• When you are ready to organize for more specific outcomes, stay at Magic Number 4. Don’t go more than 4 layers/folders deep; we begin to get overwhelmed and check out.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. As with learning anything new, we just need some practice to become better at it over time. Seth Godin also shared A Simple 2x2 For Choices that may be of interest.

With practice, we’ll be able to surf the waves of information and abundance efficiently. And with it, grow and accelerate goals, connections and efforts.

Here’s to a new year filled with health, happiness and exponential impact.

Steven A. Rodríguez is the Techstars Startup Programs Regional Manager for the U.S./Canada, Founder & Board of SUEGO™ and Chief Culture Officer at BloomShift™. He co-leads various entrepreneurship programs through his non-profit InnovateCoalition™; is a Startup Advisor for SEED SPOT, 1863 Ventures, Founders institute and Entrepreneurship World Cup.

More details can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenarodriguez