Nikita Khutorni's Site

I want to reuptake the practice of writing smart, interconnected notes for things I learn everyday. Implementing a combination of the Zettelkasten method, periodical revision and memory palace method. All the stuff I read on a daily basis — lost.

I lose it for multiple reasons: I read to procrastinate, I am too lazy to write, and I have this assumption that I have to make memorization cards from them. I don’t need to write memorization cards. But it is hard to write these notes.

Read with a pen in your head. Meet an idea, if you are short on time, capture it’s outline quickly. Think through it. Extract its essence. Integrate it into your existing knowledge in thought. Write it down in your own words. Illustrate it. Keep it short. Luhmann only had about 100 words at most for each idea.

What if Luhmanns Zettelkasten method made him that effective at using his knowledge because he had spatial representations of this notes? His slips were placed in different boxes, they had a specific numbering and spatial order and they had specific IDs. All these factors might have been necessary to remember the notes well.

Then, how can this spatiality be implemented in real life?

Luhmann read most of the books he read only once. Reading once is the goal. Read once and capture for life. Capture and remember forever.

Now comes the question: What is the point of daily notes then? It is not necessary to link all notes written in a given day on them — each daily note has a tag already. By writing blocks of thoughts on Daily Notes I make it easy for myself: I don’t commit to creating separate thought-through notes. It’s lazy. On the other hand, it’s easy to capture a bunch of ideas, that, as always speed through my head.

I started using a modified version of the Zettelkasten system 2 years ago. I used Andy Matuschak’s system.

I made a fundamental mistake. A misunderstanding. Matuschak calls his notes Evergreen notes

Read this incredible post today: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/119-steli-efti-of-close

Steli Efti mentioned a few very good things:

When not getting a reply, make replying easier by pre-defining options.
- e.g. I understand you are busy, so I’ll make it quick and easy. Just reply with the number I provide you.
  1. You are not interested in the product at all.
  2. You might be but didn’t have time to look at it.
  3. You are interested but want me to propose a time to call.
When a sales call does not go well, ask what you could improve at the end. People are eager to help with their expertise.
- “Hey, real quick, if I could get your honest advice for two minutes. I’m a founder. I’m an engineer, I’m a developer, I’m a designer in background. I don’t feel like I’m good at these presentation meetings, conversations. Could you give me advice? Help me out here. What could I have done better? What was bad about this conversation? What was bad about my presentation or demo? What would you advise me to improve?”
If you sell to a larger company, you still sell to a people. To multiple individuals with their own fears, needs and wants.

A lot of times Indie Hackers or startup founders go and pitch larges organizations with this flawed idea as if it’s one entity. “Here’s why my product is going to save IBM 5%.” Well I don’t care. I’m Bob. Tell me how this is going to make Bob’s life better. Tell me how this is going to make Bob’s career better. Tell me how this is going to not risk my life, my salary, my mortgage. Address my needs first. Then address my department’s needs, my team’s needs. And then, if it’s also good for the whole organization around the world, cool. Thumbs up. That’s nice. But that’s at the end of what I care about.

Another great excerpt from The Hard Thing About Hard Things Building a Business:

As I was feeling sorry for myself, I randomly watched an interview with famous football coach Bill Parcells. He was telling the story of how he had a similar dilemma when he began his head coaching career. In his very first season, Parcells’s team, the New York Giants, was hit with a rash of injuries. He worried incessantly about the impact of the injuries on his team’s fortunes, as it is difficult enough to win with your best players, let alone a bunch of substitutes. When his friend and mentor, Raiders owner Al Davis, called Parcells to check in, Parcells relayed his injury issues.

Parcells: “Al, I am just not sure how we can win without so many of our best players. What should I do?”

Davis: “Bill, nobody cares, just coach your team.”

That might be the best CEO advice ever. Because, you see, nobody cares. When things go wrong in your company, nobody cares. The media don’t care, your investors don’t care, your board doesn’t care, your employees don’t care, and even your mama doesn’t care.

Nobody cares.

And they are right not to care. A great reason for failing won’t preserve one dollar for your investors, won’t save one employee’s job, or get you one new customer. It especially won’t make you feel one bit better when you shut down your company and declare bankruptcy.

All the mental energy you use to elaborate your misery would be far better used trying to find the one seemingly impossible way out of your current mess. Spend zero time on what you could have done, and devote all of your time on what you might do. Because in the end, nobody cares; just run your company.