You’ve written your article, but when you read it back, you can’t quite follow your own argument. The ideas feel jumbled. Paragraphs seem to wander. You’re not even sure what point you’re making anymore. I’ve been there. We all have. Writing advice assumes you know what you want to say before you start writing. But… Read More »The Reverse Outlining Method: How to fix your messy draft
Mike Caulfield wasn’t trying to save democracy when he created SIFT. He was trying to save his students from making expensive mistakes. As a digital literacy expert, Caulfield watched college students fall for elaborate scams, share conspiracy theories, and cite completely fabricated sources in research papers. These weren’t lazy students or digital natives who should… Read More »Fake News? This 4-Step Method Separates Truth from Fiction in Minutes
Here’s what happens in your head when you capture information: Your past self and future self are essentially strangers. This isn’t a memory problem. It’s a design problem. Traditional note-taking optimizes for the moment of capture, not the moment of need. You’re designing for your motivated self who has time to read everything carefully, not… Read More »Progressive Summarization
You’re about to meet someone important. They tell you their name. Two minutes later, it’s gone. Or maybe you set your reading glasses somewhere “safe” and now they’ve vanished into thin air. We’ve all been there. What if remembering didn’t have to be so hard? The MEDIC method is a memory system based on how… Read More »How to Remember Things: The MEDIC Method
Your brain works differently when you speak aloud. When stuck on a problem, most people retreat into silent thought. They read the same information repeatedly, hoping for a rare breakthrough. But silent thinking uses only part of your brain’s problem-solving machinery. When you verbalise a problem—speaking it aloud to another person—you activate language centres that… Read More »Hold My Duck: A Problem-Solving Hack
Sam Parr, who sold his newsletter The Hustle for $27 million, credited his writing success to the practice of sitting down with pen and paper, copying great writing verbatim. What musicians and artists accept as fundamental training, writers often reject as beneath them. We expect to create masterpieces without first learning to play the scales.… Read More »Copywork: The Forgotten Practice That Will Make You a Better Writer
I keep two thinking systems. The first is my mind map system for note-taking, a precise hierarchical system of organised notes with careful cross-references and indexes. It’s logical, structured and works exactly as intended. The second is a beaten-up cardboard box stuffed with random note cards. I call it my “Chaos Box.” No organization. No… Read More »The Chaos Box
Reading more won’t make you remember more. I’ve finished hundreds of nonfiction books over the past decade. But the big ideas fade away as soon as I turn the last page. Sound familiar? There’s a straightforward explanation. Passive reading and rereading give us a false sense of mastery. In reality, it doesn’t push us to… Read More »The blank sheet priming method
Writing and editing often go hand in hand, but your environment plays a bigger role in your success than you might think. As creatures of habit, we tend to stick to the same routines and spaces, hoping for consistent results. But when it comes to polishing your work, that consistency can backfire. Your brain craves… Read More »Change your environment for better editing
For centuries, walking has been the unsung hero of great minds. From Aristotle’s legendary walking lectures to Darwin’s daily strolls. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other can transform the way you think. But why does walking hold such sway over our creativity and problem-solving abilities? The answer lies in… Read More »Improve your problem-solving skills with a daily walk