My Favourite Problems

Earlier this month, I started taking a course called Building a Second Brain (BASB). The purpose of BASB is to help people build a personal knowledge management system that’s centred around helping people capture their ideas and organize their learnings, in order to expand their creative output.

I’m three weeks into the six-week course, and so far, I’ve been able to:

  • Review my tools and processes and decide what to keep, stop, start, and restart using.

    • Keep: Evernote, Todoist, Feedly, Zapier

    • Stop: Pocket

    • Start: Instapaper, Readwise

    • Restart: Kindle, Twitter, IFTTT

  • Move my pre-BASB notes and folders in Evernote into an Archive folder

  • Move un-actionable to-dos off Todoist and into Evernote

  • Create room in Evernote to organize my folders based on actionability (following the PARA method)

  • Re-organize my Todoist list, again following PARA

I’m only at the start, and things can still change. For most of my post-secondary and professional life, I’ve followed the Getting Things Done method. Once BASB ends, I’ll look for ways to mesh the two together.

My Twelve Favourite Problems

During the first week of the course, we were asked to share our twelve favourite problems. These are questions that are in the back of our minds. The goal isn’t to come up with an answer to each question, but to use them as drivers for one’s learning and research.

Here’s a list of my current favourite problems:

  1. How can I become a better leader?

  2. What makes a great project manager?

  3. How do I help my direct reports feel supported, motivated, and driven to achieve their goals?

  4. How do I raise a child that is curious, kind, empathetic, and adventurous?

  5. How can I practice John Gottman's seven principles every day in my marriage?

  6. What are the ways to continuously improve my family's personal finances so that we can live comfortably today and in the future?

  7. How can I be a better friend and family member?

  8. How can I support my local community to encourage inclusivity and support for one another?

  9. What are the ways my loved ones and I can appreciate and preserve our culture and heritage?

  10. How do I fulfill my desire to learn while preventing information overload?

  11. How do I become a better learner, reader, and writer?

  12. How do I incorporate the Blue Zones lifestyle habits into my life?

Writing out these problems gives me a feeling of excitement. Instead of just thinking about them, I want to be able to take actions toward answering them too, even if they are just small little baby steps.

Christina RomeinComment