2020 Year in Review: Chaos and Community

This year was both the slowest and the fastest of my life. Some parts feel like a blur, others feel like they lasted forever. First, I lost my grandmother. I want to mention it straightaway in the introduction of this annual review, as it has been the most defining event of my year. Losing someone … Read More

Holiday gift guide for the curious minds

What kind of present can you give to your friend who’s naturally driven by curiosity? For the kind of person who enjoys seeking knowledge and learning new things? This year, not everyone will be able to spend the holiday together, so this gift guide will mainly focus on digital gifts for people who want to … Read More

Selective ignorance: cultivating intentional knowledge in a chaotic world

Have you ever found yourself aimlessly scrolling online, then feeling guilty about the wasted time? Twelve years ago, the Webster’s New World Dictionary—which is the official dictionary used by the Associated Press and many leading newspapers such as the New York Times—selected “selective ignorance” as a candidate for the word of the year. (it lost … Read More

The difference between efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency

Efficacy, effectiveness, efficiency… These terms sound confusingly similar. Commonly used in medical research, project management, and decision science, they are often mixed up in everyday conversations. If you’re in a hurry, here’s the difference: Efficacy means getting things done Effectiveness means doing the right things Efficiency means doing things right Sounds confusing? Don’t worry, I … Read More

The benefits of laziness: why being a lazy person can be good for you

Slacker, couch potato, bum, bludger… There are endless pejorative terms to describe lazy people. Sloth is one of the seven capital sins. Whether or not you believe in such moral vices, most cultures see laziness as a negative trait. But once you step away from moral judgement and focus on its most basic definition, laziness … Read More

JavaScript plugins for Roam Research [[roam/js]]

One of the reasons why advanced users enjoy Roam Research so much is metaprogramming—the ability to modify Roam’s behaviour inside Roam itself, without ever touching its source code. By using JavaScript blocks via the roam/js feature, you can add new customise your experience. The good news is: you don’t need to be a programmer yourself … Read More

Textual maps and the future of text

A few months ago, we hosted a workshop about the Future of Text with publisher, developer, and researcher Frode Hegland. We talked about how the medium shapes the message; how interactive digital text can transform the way we consume information; and how we can break free from the paradigm of the printed page. Frode leads … Read More

Productivity and permaculture with Marie Poulin

Welcome to this edition of our Interview series, where we interview prolific creators, entrepreneurs, authors and researchers to ask them how they design their life and work. Today, our guest is Marie Poulin, a designer, teacher, and productivity expert. Before becoming a Notion specialist and productivity-extraordinaire, Marie co-founded a creative digital agency and launched a … Read More