%% A free supplement to enhance your thinking (plus a gift) %% Welcome to Weekly Wonderings, a newsletter exploring the journey towards Digital **Self-Actualization**: *realizing our meaningful potential through the synthesis of digital tools, life management systems, and humanistic philosophies*. Here's a quick galactic overview of this edition: - [[#Would you take a pill to enhance your cognition? 💊]] - [[# A quick update on my next video]] - [[#A gift for those going back to school 🏫]] - [[#My new shining stars 🌟]] ## Would you take a pill to enhance your cognition? 💊 If I told you that there was a pill you could take every day to grant you the following benefits: - An increase in the capacity to focus attention and resist distraction - Greater verbal fluency and cognitive flexibility - Enhanced problem-solving and decision-making abilities - Increased working memory - Strengthened long-term memory for what is learned - Increased efficiency of information transmission throughout neurons *Would you take it?* [^1] When I learned about this from reading [[The Extended Mind]] by Annie Murphy Paul, I was amazed at how many simple scientific-backed strategies were available for enhancing our cognition. Initially, I read the book to explore my obsession with Obsidian and other productivity apps; I wanted to understand the fundamental science of why and how a second brain empowers us with benefits similar to this pill. However, after reading the book, I realized that the idea of an extended mind wouldn't be given justice if it only consisted of digital apps. Rather, **our extended mind expands to encompass everything beyond our physical brain**. As Annie puts it, > when we reach outside it with intention and skill, our thinking can be transformed. It can become as dynamic as our bodies, as airy as our spaces, as rich as our relationships—as capacious as the whole wide world This felt liberating. Instead of being limited through biological impairments like having [[ADHD]], my brain is only part of a larger system that determines my capabilities for focusing and getting things done. By adapting to my capabilities and exploring the other tips for [[Embodied cognition]], I've adopted a growth mindset to overcome my symptoms. Besides using Obsidian, this pill has been one of my most effective daily energizers before my morning deep work or writing sessions. Okay, maybe it isn't a pill or supplement, but it's been powerful enough to replace medication used for treating focus problems for people with ADHD. [^3] *(If you wanted an actual supplement I personally just take [[Creatine]] and fatty acids)* [^2] 😅 In the book, Annie claims, "Moderate-intensity exercise, practiced for a moderate length of time, improves our ability to think both during and immediately after the activity… as long as two hours after exercise ends" [^1]. Now, walking to clear the mind or improve creativity isn't new advice. Many influential people swear by it; Nietzsche would walk for up to four hours a day to contemplate thoughts and generate new ideas [^4]. Even increasing heart rate helps; after a rowdy classroom of misbehaving students had their room upgraded with cardio equipment, they transformed to focus more during class, cause less trouble, and improve their grades. [^5] My choice for moderate exercise has been a brisk 15-minute walk, which helps prime my mind for upcoming two-hour work sessions. Surprisingly, this benefit is only the tip of the iceberg for the ways we can leverage our physical body for cognition: - [[Hand gestures]] can help with learning, thinking, and assessing our competence in topics - Fidgeting or other [[Sensory stimulation can be required for focus]] - Being more in tune with our gut feeling (also known as [[Interoception]]) %% Go over ADHD 2.0 advice %% I intended to thoroughly write about all the other extended mind practices I've adopted as a result of the book, but I'll save it for another week as I prioritize my upcoming videos 😎 If you're curious, you can read them in [[The Extended Mind Application]]. Speaking of which… ## In my life ### A quick update on my next video I'm around halfway done the script for the video (currently 2000 words) and have sent it for revision to my writing group 😁 I've enjoyed the creative fulfillment from breaking out of the "YouTube strategy" constraints I previously imposed on myself. Instead, I'm returned to the same headspace as my initial videos when I first started YouTube, equipped with the insights of my self-learning (and, of course, the clarity of my brisk walks!). There will be some upcoming obstacles as I navigate some things for the first time (ex., reading a script with my new 3D Vtuber model setup, collaborating with a video editor, and creating some animations in Blender). Still, I'm confident it will get the reps in will elevate my fulfillment and production quality. ## A gift for those going back to school 🏫 Finding friction in your note-taking and studying practices for school? Ever since I started using Obsidian in high school, I felt empowered in my learning and studying pursuits thanks to its capabilities: - Applying scientifically proven learning strategies like active recall and spaced repetition to memorize critical facts - Strengthening my understanding when learning new concepts using the power of linked note-taking - Creating A+ essays by synthesizing the notes I took from course resources and lectures with my own experiences to develop essays I was proud of If you want to get started, feel free to check out my YouTube playlist on how to use [Obsidian for school and studying](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAPn6yqrDxQ&list=PLntFhxSBHZuoY2xtKhWyEEgZtLVu7spEP&pp=gAQBiAQB). But if you want to take it to the next level... you can consider enrolling in Obsidian University! From now until August 23rd, you can get $25 off of Obsidian University using the code "2024BACKTOSCHOOL25" (very creative coupon code I know 😅), or by clicking this [special checkout link](https://johnmavrick.thrivecart.com/obsidian-university/?coupon=2024BACKTOSCHOOL25). For those who don't know, **Obsidian University is a premade obsidian setup filled with school templates, plugins, and a tag-along course** that explains how to use the various aspects of the vault and master the art of note-taking. It’s the vault we wish we had when we started using Obsidian for school to save us hundreds of hours of independent research, courses, and implementation. Join a group of other students using it for their schooling to stay accountable and learn from their experiences. If you want a sneak peek of what's inside, you can check the [product landing page](https://shop.johnmavrick.com/obsidian-university) or take the free bite-sized course [3 Days to Lecture Note Taking Mastery](https://course.aidanhelfant.com/3daystolecturenotetakingmastery?ref=JohnMavrickYT), which includes lessons taken directly from Obsidian University. If you have any questions about the free resources or Obsidian University, feel free to reach out :) ## My new shining stars 🌟 _A place to share the new stars and constellations inside my digital galaxy_ ### Inputs - 📚 **Book:** I enjoyed reading [[The Extended Mind]] you can visit my highlights or see my takeaways in [[The Extended Mind Application]] :) - **📹 Video:** [[Internet Addiction, Gaming Disorder & ADHD]] helped me remember my focus on helping chronically online people. - Other than that, it's that time of the year for my favorite esports to host their annual global championship, so there's not much shareable takeaways from that 😅 ### Notes - [[Copying to learn minimizes mistakes]] - [[Explaining complex topics]] ## My Free Resources Thank you for being a part of this journey :) If you want to level up your productivity or personal knowledge management, you can check out the following free resources: 🧠 [Organize your life and knowledge by building your second brain](https://free.johnmavrick.com/code-method) 📃 [Get my FREE 4-part Obsidian beginner course with 20+ templates](https://free.johnmavrick.com/obsidian-templates) 🕸️ [Set up a powerful zettelkasten in Obsidian for learning](https://free.johnmavrick.com/zettelkasten) 👩‍🏫 [3 Days to Lecture Note Taking Mastery](https://course.aidanhelfant.com/3daystolecturenotetakingmastery?ref=JohnMavrickYT): 🤖 [Get my FREE Ultimate Guide to using AI for PKM with 15+ prompts](https://free.johnmavrick.com/ai-pkm) # References [^1]: Benefit descriptions were taken directly from the quote [[The Extended Mind#^k5lom6]] [^2]: [[Adhd 2.0#^0b4dml]] [^3]: [[Adhd 2.0#^e3cog4]] [^4]: [[Issue 547 Why Intelligent Minds Take Their Brains for Long Walks#^0wh0w8]] [^5]: [[Adhd 2.0#^mvgz6y]]