Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 in total

How Ryan Holiday Uses Notecards to Write Best-Sellers

Ryan Holiday is a prolific writer and podcaster. He has several best-selling books including "Ego is the Enemy" and "Conspiracy". What's interesting? He uses the humbl...

My Note-Taking Process from Capture to Communication [QUICK Notes Series #6]

In this episode I share the my note-taking process from capture all the way through to published work.

How I Use Notes in Content Creation [QUICK Notes Series #5]

My QUICK note stack allows me to distribute my creative output across many moments instead of stressful "start from scratch" output.

Comparing Note-Taking Apps [QUICK Notes Series #4]

I compare Roam Research, Notion, and SuperNotes along with an ode to the noble note card. What's best for you to begin and build a note-taking stack?

Developing Ideas Sparks into QUICK Notes [QUICK Notes Series #3]

You're in the habit of writing down idea "sparks" and capturing notes. Now what? Learn the principles of expansion and summarization.

How Note-Taking Improves Creativity & Capture Strategies [QUICK Notes Series #2]

All my life, I was taking notes the wrong way. QUICK notes helped me create building blocks of reusable content for future projects. Here's how to begin.

Origins of smart notes & difference from "regular notes" [QUICK Notes Series #1]

The first in a series about how to take better notes so you never start from scratch with a new idea. In the first episode I cover the origins of the Zettelkasten, Sma...

The Disciplined Application of Basics

One simple lesson about how Brazilian jujitsu helped me be more focused and productive in my work.

Using Project Sprints to Plan Your Goals

How to use project sprints to connect your daily actions to big picture quarterly and annual goals.

Time to Learn, Time to Act

How to balance a focus on research and development with in-the-moment action. Note: I use one curse word in this episode, and it rhymes with "pity".

Is Your Time Already Spoken For?

How much of your day is already booked and spoken for? Between meetings, recurring tasks, and the daily work of life, you probably have less than you think. But here's...

Processes, Systems, and Outcomes

Invest your time in good processes instead of being focused solely on outcomes. Good process is the foundation of long-term success.

Slay the Procrastination Dragons

Every day we face tiny dragons that seek to throw us off the path to our goals. I call them the "procrastination dragons" and show you a few ways to slay all day.

Super Mario & Productivity

What I learned about productivity from video games like Super Mario 3

The Day 100 Problem

At the beginning of a new goal, habit, or creative venture, the most important thing you can do is start... and keep going. Don't solve day 100 problems on day 0.

Make Your Own Rules

What can Dr. Seuss teach us about doing our own thing, regardless of what others think? Also, have you found a jertain in your curtain?

Transferring Confidence

How to use confidence in one area of life into another area you're less confident in. For example, I never worry about weight I gain, but I'm terrified of losing money.

Turning Pro: 100 Rounds of Output

Want to build competence and confidence is something new? Do it 100 times and you'll grow. It's as simple as that.

Never Start From Zero: How to Use Smart Notes

One of the biggest challenges for people is organizing ideas and making use of them for future projects. Smart Notes and Second Brain thinking solves this, and how eve...

The Gap of Life-Changing Work

Ira Glass once shared the concept of the gap in creative, life-changing work. It's the difference between who you are at the beginning and who you desire to be eventua...

22 Books to Read in 2022

22 books recommendations for 2022. See timestamps for each book below. Happy reading!

The 3 Steps of Habit Building (and Breaking)

The 3 steps of habit building (and breaking) are the cue, routine, and reward. Understand this loop and you'll be more successful in the habits that matter most to you.

A Poker Player's Advice for Goal Selection

Selecting the highest leverage goal is difficult because you don't have all the information. Poker players are used to this uncertainty, but learn from their bets over...

Review Your Week with The WRAP Method

The perfect bookend to the GAP Preview is the WRAP Review. Look back at your week to identify and learn from the Wins, Results, Alignment, and Pivots for the week ahead.

Find the "First Track" of Your Goals

One of the most challenging parts of pursuing your goals is knowing where to start. But that's not really true. We are afraid to start because we don't know where we a...

Achieve Your Goals in 2022 with QMWD

How to plan and achieve your goals in 2022 using the QMWD Framework.

The Productivity Flywheel

Use this simple mental model to define your actions, manage your time, organize your ideas, and select the right tools for the job.

Task vs Time for Habit Development

If you're protecting time for the big goal or new habit this week, consider if you should use a task or time milestone.

Winning the First Week of 2022

It's the first full week of 2022! Start stacking productive "winning" weeks and build momentum for the year ahead.

Happy New Year! Am I starting a daily podcast?

Happy New Year! Testing a daily podcast for the first 10 days of 2022 (totally wrote 2021 first). In this episode I'm learning joy in the little things from my 3 year ...

Get the Connect the Dots Weekly Newsletter

Each week I write a short essay that helps you build mental models, eliminate distraction, and focus on what matters to you.

checkmark Got it. You're on the list!
© Matt Ragland LLC 2020