Stop Procrastinating With Note-Taking Apps Like Obsidian, Roam, Logseq
TLDRThe video discusses how Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tools like Obsidian, Roam, and Logseq can lead to procrastination. While these tools feel productive, many users spend excessive time optimizing their systems rather than doing actual work. This 'sophisticated procrastination' can make users feel smart without producing meaningful results. The video emphasizes that note-taking should support work, not replace it. It also provides five actionable tips to avoid procrastination, including sticking to one tool, being project-based, and setting limits on time spent on organizing systems.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) systems like Obsidian, Roam, and Logseq can sometimes lead to procrastination by making users feel productive without actual progress.
- 📚 Sophisticated procrastination occurs when people engage in activities that make them feel smart, such as over-planning or excessive note-taking, rather than taking action.
- 📝 Complex note-taking systems can feel rewarding, but they often don't lead to better work. It's important to recognize that feeling smart isn't the same as being productive.
- 🎯 Many PKM users fall into the trap of endlessly optimizing their systems, thinking that a perfect system will unlock productivity. This 'click' moment doesn't exist.
- 📦 Collecting notes, articles, and bookmarks can become a form of procrastination. Gathering information isn't productive unless it's used to create tangible work.
- 🔄 Chasing the perfect note-taking system or constantly switching tools is a form of procrastination. It's more effective to stick with one tool and focus on doing the work.
- 💡 Real insights and progress often come through doing the work, not from optimizing or organizing notes. Trust your brain to generate ideas during action.
- 🚀 Being project-based in your note-taking approach helps reduce irrelevant information and decreases procrastination. Focus your notes around specific goals or tasks.
- 💪 Prioritize increasing your work capacity and output before spending time structuring your note-taking system. Doing the actual work is what ultimately improves productivity.
- ⏳ Set limits on time spent optimizing your note-taking system. Allocate specific time windows for improving the system and avoid letting it consume your schedule.
Q & A
What is Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)?
-Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) refers to the practice of organizing, linking, and managing information in a way that helps individuals improve their work efficiency. Tools like Obsidian, Roam, Logseq, and others are often used to create this 'second brain' for storing and retrieving knowledge.
How can Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) become a form of procrastination?
-PKM can lead to procrastination when users focus too much on optimizing their systems, endlessly tweaking tools, and planning instead of doing actual work. This 'sophisticated procrastination' feels productive but doesn't lead to tangible results.
What is the difference between obvious procrastination and sophisticated procrastination?
-Obvious procrastination involves distractions like watching Netflix or playing video games instead of working. Sophisticated procrastination, on the other hand, involves activities like overly complex planning or system optimization, which feel productive but don't result in meaningful progress.
Why do people get stuck in a cycle of constantly switching tools in PKM?
-People often believe that switching to a new tool will 'click' and solve their productivity problems. This 'perfect tool procrastination' creates a cycle where users keep chasing better tools, believing each will finally lead to superior productivity, when in fact it often leads to wasted time.
What is the 'collector’s fallacy' in the context of PKM?
-The 'collector’s fallacy' refers to the habit of accumulating information—like bookmarks, notes, or Kindle books—without ever using it to create something tangible. Collecting knowledge feels rewarding, but it doesn't lead to productive outcomes unless it's applied effectively.
Why is it important to view PKM as an aid rather than the main work?
-PKM should be seen as a support system for actual work, not the work itself. Focusing too much on PKM without producing results can lead to stagnation. Doing the real work—whether writing, building, or creating—is where meaningful progress happens.
How can people avoid falling into the trap of optimizing their PKM system too much?
-People can avoid this trap by settling for a 'good enough' system and focusing more on their work output. Once a system is functional, further optimization should be minimal. Doing the real work is more important than constantly refining the system.
What practical advice is given to break out of the cycle of tool-switching in PKM?
-The advice is to commit to using one tool for at least six months without switching. This prevents the constant temptation to switch and helps users focus on the actual work rather than spending time migrating and setting up new systems.
What role should the brain play in PKM alongside digital tools?
-Digital tools in PKM should support, not replace, the brain. It's important to trust that insights will come through thinking and doing, rather than relying solely on note-taking systems. Many great ideas emerge outside of structured note-taking environments.
How can project-based note-taking reduce procrastination?
-Project-based note-taking focuses on taking notes relevant to a specific project, which naturally filters out unnecessary information and reduces the fear of missing out. This method is more productive as it aligns note-taking with tangible outcomes.
Outlines
🤔 Understanding Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and Its Pitfalls
The speaker discusses how some individuals excel in their work without even knowing what Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is. PKM, which has gained popularity with tools like Obsidian, Roam, and Notion, promises enhanced productivity and effectiveness. However, for many, PKM leads to procrastination disguised as productivity. Unlike obvious procrastination, where we engage in activities like watching Netflix or playing video games instead of working, sophisticated procrastination involves tasks that make us feel smart but do not lead to meaningful progress. Examples include overly complex planning, endless research, and discussing ideas without taking action.
💡 The Illusion of Progress in PKM
The speaker reflects on their initial excitement about PKM, specifically with tools like Roam and bi-directional linking. While PKM made them feel smarter, it didn’t actually improve their work. They realized that creating complex note-taking systems, although intellectually stimulating, didn’t equate to better work outcomes. Feeling smart from using such systems is misleading because it doesn't guarantee productive results.
🔍 Chasing the Perfect System
Many PKM enthusiasts fall into the trap of constantly optimizing their systems, thinking that with a few more tweaks or a new tool, they’ll achieve superhuman productivity. However, the idea of a perfect system is a myth. The work process is inherently messy, full of uncertainty and frustration. Chasing perfection is futile and often serves as a sophisticated form of procrastination. The speaker stresses that meaningful progress can only be made by embracing the messiness of work rather than trying to eliminate it.
📚 The Collector's Fallacy in Knowledge Management
The speaker introduces the 'collector's fallacy,' where accumulating notes, bookmarks, PDFs, and Kindle books gives a false sense of productivity. Many people feel good simply by gathering information, but this doesn’t translate into effective work. Using this information productively—whether for writing an article, creating a video, or another tangible output—is what truly matters. Without producing something, collecting knowledge is just another form of procrastination.
🔨 PKM is Not Actual Work
The speaker argues that PKM, while useful, is not the actual work that matters most. Treating PKM as 'work' can lead to it consuming excessive time, allowing individuals to procrastinate without guilt. Instead, PKM should be viewed as a tool that aids in the real work, not a substitute for it. Like how a bodybuilder knows that working out is more important than finding the perfect workout routine, writers and entrepreneurs need to focus on doing the core tasks rather than getting lost in systems and planning.
🧠 The Need to Take Action, Not Just Plan
The speaker emphasizes the importance of action over planning. While having a note-taking system can be helpful, true insights often emerge during the act of doing work. Writers uncover ideas while writing, and entrepreneurs find solutions through action, not just planning. If PKM is viewed as a prerequisite for doing good work, it becomes another form of procrastination. Many people act as though it’s necessary to plan extensively before starting, but the reality is that action breeds progress.
🚫 Avoid the Optimization Procrastination Trap
One common trap is ‘optimization procrastination,’ where individuals focus too much on refining their PKM system rather than actually doing the work. This manifests in constantly switching tools or making unnecessary tweaks beyond what’s useful. There’s no perfect system, and aiming for 'good enough' is far more productive. The speaker shares examples of successful individuals who use messy, unstructured systems yet manage to be highly effective because they prioritize work over optimization.
🛠 Breaking Free from Tool-Hopping
The speaker discusses the ‘perfect tool’ trap, where PKM users constantly switch from one tool to another, believing that the next tool will solve all their problems. This constant tool-hopping wastes time and energy. The speaker recounts their own experience of switching between multiple tools (Evernote, Roam, Obsidian, etc.) and how it detracted from productivity. They urge listeners to settle with one tool for at least six months and focus on doing the work rather than seeking a perfect solution.
📅 Principle 1: Stick with One Tool
To escape the cycle of tool-hopping and endless optimization, the speaker recommends sticking with one tool for at least six months. While it may be tempting to switch to a new app, this habit only leads to procrastination. By committing to one tool, users can focus on actual work rather than getting sidetracked by new features or apps.
🧠 Principle 2: Trust Your Brain More
The speaker encourages listeners to trust their brain more instead of relying heavily on PKM systems. While note-taking can be helpful, important insights often come organically, during moments of reflection or relaxation, not while obsessively organizing notes. It’s essential to allow room for creative thinking and not overburden yourself with constant documentation.
📋 Principle 3: Be Project-Based in Note-Taking
Rather than taking notes for the sake of it, the speaker advises being project-based with your note-taking. Focus on gathering information relevant to your current project, and ignore irrelevant details. This approach reduces information overload and procrastination, helping users work towards tangible outcomes instead of aimlessly collecting information.
🚀 Principle 4: Prioritize Work Over Structure
Before worrying about structuring your PKM system, the speaker recommends focusing on work capacity and output. Spending more time organizing than working is a form of procrastination. Most systems have adequate search functions, so detailed organization isn’t necessary. Once work momentum is established, then users can optimize their system, but only when it’s genuinely helpful.
⏳ Principle 5: Set Boundaries for Note-Taking
To avoid over-investing time in PKM, the speaker advises setting limits on how much time is spent working on your system. For example, limiting note-taking optimizations to 30 minutes a day can prevent procrastination. Separating the processes of capturing information and structuring it also helps reduce distractions and focus on more important tasks.
📝 PKM is Meant to Help, Not Hinder
The speaker concludes by reiterating that a PKM system is only valuable if it enhances your work output. If, after several months, your productivity has decreased because of your system, it’s not a good system. The true measure of an effective system is whether it helps you produce higher-quality and higher-quantity work. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their system and adjust it to better serve their goals.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)
💡Sophisticated Procrastination
💡Bi-directional linking
💡Collector's Fallacy
💡Optimization Procrastination
💡Shiny Object Syndrome
💡Second Brain
💡Project-Based Note-Taking
💡Good Enough
💡Actionable Limits
Highlights
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tools like Obsidian, Roam, and Logseq are not inherently bad but can lead to sophisticated procrastination.
Sophisticated procrastination involves engaging in activities that make us feel smart, like optimizing systems, without actually making progress.
Obvious procrastination, such as watching Netflix or playing video games, feels bad, whereas sophisticated procrastination feels productive but isn’t.
PKM tools can create a sense of accomplishment by making users feel smarter, but this doesn’t always translate into better work or productivity.
Many people fall into the trap of constantly tweaking and optimizing their note-taking systems, chasing an elusive sense of perfection.
Sophisticated procrastination often includes collecting notes, bookmarks, and PDFs without actually using them to produce meaningful work.
Productivity improves when we stop chasing the perfect system and accept that 'good enough' is often more effective.
Jumping from one tool to another in search of the perfect note-taking app is a form of procrastination, preventing real work from getting done.
Great work has been done by people using basic tools like pen and paper, proving that complex systems are not necessary for success.
The fear of missing out on capturing every piece of information is irrational; good ideas will naturally come to you when consuming relevant content.
It’s more productive to focus note-taking efforts on specific projects rather than taking notes for the sake of it.
Your note-taking system should enhance your work, but if it's reducing your output, it's not a good system.
To combat procrastination, stick with one note-taking tool for at least six months instead of constantly switching apps.
Trust your brain more: not all valuable insights come from note-taking; many come organically during everyday activities.
Limit the time spent on improving your note-taking system and focus on using it to produce tangible results.
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