TL;DR: 11:22 - Insight 1: Show up without an agenda 16:00 - Insight 2: Take time to step back and pause 21:29 - Insight 3: Be intentional and make space for space Curious: Which insight resonated with you the most?
The reason I came to your channel was for your Obsidian content, and the reason I continue to return is because of you. You care, and it shows. You have passion for the things you share with us, and vulnerable, introspective videos like this help us understand the tremendous work behind the content we love and the real struggles that come with it. I was relieved that this wasn't a farewell video. Keep doing what you do, and we'll keep dropping in. We're all the better for it.
Really appreciate your strength and honesty in bringing this out. Its not easy sharing personal vulnerabilities out in the open. Hope things find their way for you in good time.
`Its not easy sharing personal vulnerabilities out in the open` ...that is the exact sentence I was looking for, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini was not able to give me this sentence.
Nick, I was driving long distances on the 401 highway (here in Canada) the other day. At every gas and food court place along that highway there are now enormous digital advertising screens pulling drivers’ attention from the road and from the natural landscape. It felt like another assault. Now not only am I being pushed at, put through sales funnels, and urged on to ever more anxious overwhelm when I am online, but I can’t escape it when I’m driving. Your LYT workshops and videos have always been the exact opposite of that - honest, thoughtful, inspiring, helpful. You, the team and the LYT community have helped me recover from a very serious creator burnout. With today’s video, my already very high opinion of you has multiplied. Thank you, Nick, for being authentically you. While no one achieves individuation in their lifetime, your intentions going forward show that you’re making some significant leaps along that path. I look forward to the journey.
Your experience of ad assaults while driving on the open roads terrifies me. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better. Us humans are naturally adaptive to these new stresses, but also still succumb to the distractions and noise too often. Thanks for the kind words as always. This definitely feels like a personal pivot point.
Hello Nick, I've been introduced to this channel by a friend about 3 or 4 years ago. It's also the first time I started using Obsidian. Back in my school days I've been doing quite similar thing on papers and notebooks. It's the only way I knew to process everything flowing in and out of my mind since childhood, which was all by sheer intuition, not by carefully thinking. So it's mind-blowing to knew about Obsidian and people who developed a community and workshop around it. I can totally understand the feeling of burnout, although I didn't create things toward public. But I stopped doing notemaking since a deciding moment, and didn't give it a return time. I believe that's something beyond brain's control. Please just live your life. You don't owe anything to anyone.
Hey thanks and it is indeed amazing how things have evolved. I love the notemaking side of things. That's the easy, playful side. The burnout stuff comes from just trying to do too much in other where the status quo says "never enough".
@linkingyourthinking I used to process the life experiences and my reviews on them by notemaking. It was a secret base in mind where I can hide into(also obsessed with a physical one) and yes, at times you would get crazy inside it, a maze of my own create, almost felt like people got crazy inside a nuclearwar bunker....that was exactly what happened and made me decide to give up doing it. Thank you for creating the Epic Life Audit template, it inspire me to try again.
@linkingyourthinking The situation I've been in, I think it's not because of the tool itself, it just reflected what was happening of my mind back then. Notemaking is like a mirror can reflect the unseen. Which is not a bad thing actually, only need to be used carefully.
I really appreciate the amount of genuine thought that you put in to your output- you set me on my still rather stumbling, though excited path with Obsidian having bought both the LYT and Obsidian pilots training. I am hoping that you new TH-cam content will be like mini grappling hooks and pitons to help those who loved your courses but got a bit left behind to catch up!
What resonated? To be (harshly) honest, it wasn't any of the personal stuff, video essays or all the other stuff. It was seeing someone talk passionately about PKM, which I at the time I was starting to get passionate about as well. You seemd like a one-stop solution to get into PKM, like the authority in the field. (similar to AthleanX for fitness, in case you happen to know that channel). Essentially, I could tell from the video quality that there was real value in your channel. Seeing this value, and not wanting to miss out on any future value, I instantly subscribed.
I just arrived at your channel because I just started diving into Obsidian. It's really inspiring to see someone be genuine and acknowledge that something needs to change. Hustle culture has a toxic side and so many people forget to leave room for themselves to be themselves. I watched this video to the finish, and the reason was because I could tell it was real. Thanks for being authentic. We definitely need more of that in the world. I look forward to seeing how things evolve. Liked and subscribed, and let's see where all this takes us. Keep it playful.
I always wanted to hear more about what you find exciting, what intrigues you, what starts the sparks. Thats why the New direction of your Channel sounds something I want to be part of. I wish you all the best, take care!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am an accidental creator too and the TH-cam burnout is honestly so real :') Wishing you and your channel all the best!
Thanks for making this video! I am really looking forward to seeing your new content, especially as someone who hasn't been able to attend your workshops in the past!
With the quality and enthusiasm, I was frankly surprised you were experiencing this tension between the cohort effort and youtube channel effort Nick, but hearing your perspective makes perfect sense. I'm GLAD you're navigating your way through (like you expertly did by creating MOCs in the tension between top down rigid structure and bottom up fluidity) and, more importantly, THRILLED for your path forward and novel ideas -- like the 5 decade rule :) Looking forward to the changes ❤
As one of those couple hundred people who loves your next level offerings and workshops, your content is so rich and dense that I worry about my own burnout from trying to take it all in! Thank you for modeling meaning, "zooming out," and aging gracefully.
Thank you for all the work you and your team are doing, Nick! I would say you don't do TH-cam the wrong way, you do it your own way, which makes it unique. Linking Your Thinking has felt special to me since the very first video I saw. And I always appreciate your honest and open style of communication. Excited to see where it goes from here!
I feel curious. I feel connected. I've enjoyed both the front of and the back of the stage with your videos and products Nick. I've also had my own challenges with job burnout this year and the timing of this video is perfect. I don't want to see other people going through burnout, but I'm glad they are recognizing it like I am and try to get out of the vicious cycle. You and your team are so great, keep doing what you are doing and can't wait to see what's next!
"If we could learn how to balance rest against effort, calmness against strain, quiet against turmoil, we would assure ourselves of joy in living and psychological health for life " - Josephine Rathbone, physiologist Hope you and your team find a good balance and feel better soon. I'm new to Obsidian (1 week), and your beginners videos 3 years ago are good info for me
Welcome back, king 🫡 ! It's interesting how you're intentionally choosing TH-cam to be loose as a way of recharging from the intensive back-of-stage efforts. It's definitely against traditional creator advice of sticking to your niche or making videos relevant to your services. But recently, I've also come to realize how energizing and liberating it is to make videos for the sake of sharing your curiosities in creative ways, which ultimately has been the foundation of LYT. Excited to see where this new emphasis on vulnerability and wandering goes!
Hey thanks John! Yes, TH-cam will be a bit looser, but it will still have some intention to it as well. I think the big realization is just how even TH-cam feels like a walk in the park compared to the entire life cycle of a single cohort. (but maybe I'll feel differently after focusing more on TH-cam for the next six months or something...)
Nick, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this video. Although I am nowhere near as well known as you are, I definitely identify with the "Accidental Creator" discussion. I started sharing organization tips as a hobby and just recently monetized. Juggling that with a full time position in higher education and teaching part-time at two other institutions gives me a full plate. My trick so far is to try to find common threads with what I'm doing, but I am definitely concerned with trying to do too much. I look forward to more of your videos.
Thank you for all the effort and time spent helping to build up the knowledge management space in general and then building the amazing community that is LYT!
Have only just discovered your channel, but am definitely curious to find out more, and think that all of the upcoming plans that you mentioned here are going to be great. Certainly want to join you for the ride. True fans, just like true friends, place the health and happiness of the creator above the content itself. It is such a joy to feel your joy for your areas of interest as you explain how you think and feel, and I am truly grateful that you have decided to share your ideas and impressions with the world. We need to enable the development of more "digital gardens" like yours to help restore the rainforest minds that are so often destroyed and cut down to size in the sawmill of standardized schooling.
I'm going to be honest with you. Since I discovered Obsidian I fell into an youtube rabbit hole full of people talking about it and teaching, and yours was one of those. I did forget about your channel for some time though, until a friend of mine who's starting to use obsidian sent me a video of yours. First of all, it is awesome that you got to work on Better Call Saul. I loved every part of it! Second, I appreciate so much that you are being honest. I too had a burnout this year. Now, with more "free time", I'm dedicating myself to practice and gather information about what I truly like. See, this week I just started to write my own weekly newsletter, so this video kind of makes me feel less....idk, maybe less worried and more confident about the fact that I can talk about a variety of things and still find people who also think alike. What I mean is that sharing your vulnerability might feels scary but that gives people like me the motivation to keep going. I'm still pretty freaking scared tho. The insights that resonates with me the most are the ones about doing with intention and the one about pausing. I've been re-reading my Henri Bergson favorite book (Matter and Memory - highly recommend it) and doing our actions with intention means also exercising our freedom. That, together with pausing, reminds me of the practice of Yoga. Pausing with intention, moving with intention. keep up the good work, friend 🖖 Always inspiring.
Thank you for your vulnerability Nick, it's beautiful. I can only speak for myself, but it feels like a lot for me as a backstage community member as well. I feel super excited because of the exceptionally high value education, but it's been very intense with Notemaking Mastery following the LYT cohort so quickly. I can't even imagine how intense it must've been for you and the team. I'm not sure if this helps but I really love the self-paced lessons and am mixing and matching lessons from the different programs (LYT Core Curriculum, WOW Self-paced, NMM, Ideaverse Pro/Zero). It allows me to focus on what I need right now to support what I'm working on, without the FOMO that I experience when I'm also trying to keep up with a live cohort. And the content in the Masterclass Vault is golden too! So I guess what I'm trying to say is; as a paying community member I'm getting the most value out of the self-paced courses and pre-recorded lessons, along with the community engagement/interaction. I wonder how the balance is for other community members.
This resonates so deeply. I'm doing deep work these days to get to the core root cause behind why we overwhelm ourselves, as it's been a huge issue for me as well. I've discovered some deep buried things in myself, for example a fear of boredom (because in boredom there's nothing to maintain the built-up egoic structure). Another was feeling led around by opportunities and other people's suggestions of what to do, pulling into places I'm not truly ready for, and then trying to execute their ideas (especially through a business course). There's a root of how the mind operating system functions, which is parts-based, not holistic. But capturing and organizing all the parts can't be done, because it's unending -- there's too many, and all those parts put together don't equal the whole. And what ends up happening is when I live this way, I can do all the organizing robotic work. But I can't get the awareness to execute on the mind's well-laid plains, so anything that requires real creativity of presence doesn't flow that way (a bit hard to explain without context). In people at the height of productivity with complete acceptance of running their life by the mind's system, productivity can run fairly well and a lot gets done. But for me I've seen beyond that, and I'm ultimately choosing to move beyond egoic-based living. So I've learned that because I'm not fully choosing the mind's way, it works less well for me than it does for those others. This summer I reached the extreme end of 2 years of incredible yet complex built-up systems in Notion that my mind can creatively plan, but that I end up not aligning to actually live out. The more structure there was, the less I wanted to use it. So it became like a 1000 story skyscraper full of intricate tunnels and hallways and elevators, but with no real space for living in. And only a few tenants here and there. I tried to corral them to force them there, but there was less and less willingness to do so. So a couple weeks ago I threw all that structure away and landed in Obsidian, looking for a much simpler and more expansive opportunity to bring my core work into the world that is designed for being acting, not mind.
I worked as a doctor for 30 years. At the end of the pandemic, after three years of working 96 hours a week, I burned out. It was so bad that the simple idea of returning to work at the hospital was making me feel bad. I left my job, I graduated in philosophy, and I am doing a doctorate. I am happy, I have a life that I love now. Vulnerability can be scary. But it can disclose to you your deepest humanity and become a superpower to change your life. Obstacles limit you only if you see them as obstacles. What if they are opportunity to change? I wish you all the best, and I hope you can be happy with yourself soon
Wow, thank you for sharing your journey. And thank you for your efforts during the pandemic. I'm glad that you were able to find a new path that fills you up.
@@linkingyourthinking Well, I am very excited to be seeing more of you here on TH-cam and engaging with you and your very helpful ideas here. Fantastic! Another thing I am looking forward to is your upcoming book: I think you are currently working on a book, correct? The two obviously fit together very well, creating more valuable feedback loops for everybody: You, your premium customers, your TH-cam audience, the future readers of your book, and humanity. I am quite serious about this last one: At the dawn of AI it is Linked Thinking/Zettelkasten that will propel human thinking to the next level. I think your work is an important contribution to the future of interdisciplinary thinking, writing, and understanding. Thank you so much for what you are doing. You can be very excited about this space you fell into!
Hi Nick, 3 things I thought during your video: 1) From what started as a hobby, you're now in conflict of how your personal interests are being obscured by the business opportunities you are being able to seize. This is a dilema inherent to entrepreneurship; 2) The burn out effect is wide across society and this, at least in my understanding, is an effect of productivity culture and technological rationality. Scholars have been talking about these effects for many decades now. Bifo Berardi is one that is interesting to read. He talks about the negative cognitive effects of cognitive capitalism; and 3) As a listener, it felt like I was witnessing a therapy session. If you don't have a therapist, a good idea would be to have one so that you can continue this self-reflection. I'm not saying that it wasn't a good video or anything of that sort, I am simply pointing to something that you might not have realized? Not sure, but I thought it would be helpful to give you some feedback. Cheers!
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I think I would like to learn more about the individual you referenced. I remember the stat that talked about writers, as a profession, had more cognitive issues as they aged, and I found that interesting as I found it worrisome. Also, I'm fairly new to therapy, but have always been very open to it, and have been exploring it more recently.
You've fallen into the trap that idea oriented people are prone too. More good ideas than the drive that's available can sustain. It isn't surprising that the Ideaverse you've created can make this possible. Something about the unlimited nature of the digital world is like a Thanksgiving feast, where you get about a quarter way through your plate and realize your eyes were bigger than your stomach. There is an art to saying no to an idea. Some people call it a discipline, and it certainly requires discipline, but I believe it is more of an art. That is because you must, in saying no, decide which ideas are aligned with what you already have going on and which ones are a good idea but could only spread you thinner. Which ideas make your efforts deeper rather than wider? I deeply appreciate your efforts and thoughts Nick. There were parts of this video that basically describe why I couldn't participate in your cohort as deeply as I desperately wanted to. I definitely recognize this same cycle in my own life. Thanks for continuing to be honest with yourself and with us. This challenge of priorities in life always reminds me of Augustine's principle of rightly ordered loves. "But living a just and holy life requires one to be capable of an objective and impartial evaluation of things: to love things, that is to say, in the right order, so that you do not love what is not to be loved, or fail to love what is to be loved, or have a greater love for what should be loved less, or an equal love for things that should be loved less or more, or a lesser or greater love for things that should be loved equally." (On Christian Doctrine, I.27-28)
Yes, an abundance of ideas causes its own downstream issues, though I'll take those over the issues that a lack of ideas provides. I hope you're doing well Jerrod!
I fall into this when listening to podcasts as a way to cope; to take my mind off things. Next thing I know I'm wanting to transcribe a long section from the podcast for my notes. Thanks for this comment.
Emptying space only to fill it because you were so inspired? 😂I have to hold myself back in the struggle to do the same all the time. Thanks for sharing what you’re learning. And I am sure your TH-cam is going to be better than ever, it was already pretty darn good so…
I am new to obsidian, I want to start using obsidian but I am afraid and I don't know that after taking all of those notes how am I going to revise before exam, in the conventional method you have fixed amount of pages with clear table of contents so I know how much I have to study unfortunately I don't know how would I do that with obsidian I am afraid I would end up on rabbit hole and instead of studying what I need to study i would just study random things by following all those links, and again before starting studying i don't even know how many links or pages I have to go through🤔 Any ideas how you guys deal with that
Wow!!! You are the man! Thanks for the honesty and open-hearted sharing with unknown, faceless people like me. Knowing to know that you're in burnout is a gift, which will help you excel 100 or 1000 times more. I really enjoyed and still enjoying your "Cornell Notes" clip th-cam.com/video/WkfEKI469J8/w-d-xo.html and it's still my favorite clip with lots of insights and life's comparison and advice. It's a "gold mine" for me. Welcome back!!
For sure, glad you Ramesh. You got me to rewatch Cornell Notes just now. It's better than I remember on providing insights on reading and making notes.
@@linkingyourthinking Your good times not only motivate and energize us all, but your perseverance during challenging moments and your recovery journey are also incredibly inspiring. You bring such a positive vibe, and we all support you at all times!
My major in college was in civil engineering, so I would say the overlap between that and picture editing is fairly minimal. That means, your formal education is not holding you back. No one looks at what somebody's done in school when it comes to most of the professions in the industry. They want to know if you are fast learner, a self starter, and someone they wouldn't mind spending 12 hours in the same room with day after day.
@linkingyourthinking Thank you sincerely for your reply! I appreciate it and will take what you said with me moving forward. A few years ago, I discovered I had what felt like a natural talent for video editing. It's something I've been wanting to pursue for a while but have been reticent about. Now, however, I think I'll just go for it. Thanks for the encouragement and words of wisdom.
@@stretch1807 Good luck. It's a mix of talent and finding/making opportunities. (And more the latter, because the opportunities are what develops the talent!)
@@linkingyourthinking I really don't think viewers have much insight into just how much effort goes into being a creator and trying to make a living from it. I know I don;t Seems like you have had a fairly significant realisation and reset. I hope it all works out. I do remember watching some of your vids back in my formative Obsidian adventures.
@@MattJoyce01 well, we go all out for our cohorts. Self-paced products are easier to maintain after they are initially created. But every cohort is a major lift.
A TOC is a static outline of a book. An MOC can be that sometimes. But other times it's a "mapping" note...a note of discovery...a bottom-up type of note. So even if it overlaps with a TOC, an MOC has a more dynamic and changing nature.
I thought having a second brain was aimed to Prevent this 😅 I really think this pkm thing was blown way out of proportion, you know, like any thing marketable?
My ideaverse rocks. I love it. Having one led to countless wins personally and professionally. But you know what, they don't seem to create more hours in the day, blasted things! All smoke and mirrors I guess
I feel more Curious about where you are headed - it is exciting - tingling, I feel more connected to you and your team - because you shared your vulnerability. Looking forward to whatever your next stage brings Nick and team... you always leave me wanting to know more - and that to me is what I am looking for in the people who I want to spend more time with - the creative people. I also truly hope that you will be open to creating and sharing live and in public with friends and other people who stimulate your thinking and help to bring the best out of you. Just know that there are so many of us here who are more than willing to help out every way possible. (@createpei)
TL;DR:
11:22 - Insight 1: Show up without an agenda
16:00 - Insight 2: Take time to step back and pause
21:29 - Insight 3: Be intentional and make space for space
Curious: Which insight resonated with you the most?
The reason I came to your channel was for your Obsidian content, and the reason I continue to return is because of you. You care, and it shows. You have passion for the things you share with us, and vulnerable, introspective videos like this help us understand the tremendous work behind the content we love and the real struggles that come with it. I was relieved that this wasn't a farewell video. Keep doing what you do, and we'll keep dropping in. We're all the better for it.
Really appreciate your strength and honesty in bringing this out. Its not easy sharing personal vulnerabilities out in the open. Hope things find their way for you in good time.
Many thanks 🙏
`Its not easy sharing personal vulnerabilities out in the open` ...that is the exact sentence I was looking for, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini was not able to give me this sentence.
Nick, I was driving long distances on the 401 highway (here in Canada) the other day. At every gas and food court place along that highway there are now enormous digital advertising screens pulling drivers’ attention from the road and from the natural landscape. It felt like another assault. Now not only am I being pushed at, put through sales funnels, and urged on to ever more anxious overwhelm when I am online, but I can’t escape it when I’m driving.
Your LYT workshops and videos have always been the exact opposite of that - honest, thoughtful, inspiring, helpful. You, the team and the LYT community have helped me recover from a very serious creator burnout.
With today’s video, my already very high opinion of you has multiplied. Thank you, Nick, for being authentically you. While no one achieves individuation in their lifetime, your intentions going forward show that you’re making some significant leaps along that path. I look forward to the journey.
Your experience of ad assaults while driving on the open roads terrifies me. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better. Us humans are naturally adaptive to these new stresses, but also still succumb to the distractions and noise too often.
Thanks for the kind words as always. This definitely feels like a personal pivot point.
Hello Nick, I've been introduced to this channel by a friend about 3 or 4 years ago. It's also the first time I started using Obsidian. Back in my school days I've been doing quite similar thing on papers and notebooks. It's the only way I knew to process everything flowing in and out of my mind since childhood, which was all by sheer intuition, not by carefully thinking. So it's mind-blowing to knew about Obsidian and people who developed a community and workshop around it.
I can totally understand the feeling of burnout, although I didn't create things toward public. But I stopped doing notemaking since a deciding moment, and didn't give it a return time. I believe that's something beyond brain's control. Please just live your life. You don't owe anything to anyone.
Hey thanks and it is indeed amazing how things have evolved. I love the notemaking side of things. That's the easy, playful side. The burnout stuff comes from just trying to do too much in other where the status quo says "never enough".
@linkingyourthinking I used to process the life experiences and my reviews on them by notemaking. It was a secret base in mind where I can hide into(also obsessed with a physical one) and yes, at times you would get crazy inside it, a maze of my own create, almost felt like people got crazy inside a nuclearwar bunker....that was exactly what happened and made me decide to give up doing it.
Thank you for creating the Epic Life Audit template, it inspire me to try again.
@@Woo0922 That's wild, but I can kind of see what you're saying. I appreciate your perspective and will keep it as a cautionary indicator of sorts
@linkingyourthinking The situation I've been in, I think it's not because of the tool itself, it just reflected what was happening of my mind back then. Notemaking is like a mirror can reflect the unseen. Which is not a bad thing actually, only need to be used carefully.
Add oil Nick! You've been amazing and I hope to see your next adventures soon!
Many thanks to you!
I really appreciate the amount of genuine thought that you put in to your output- you set me on my still rather stumbling, though excited path with Obsidian having bought both the LYT and Obsidian pilots training. I am hoping that you new TH-cam content will be like mini grappling hooks and pitons to help those who loved your courses but got a bit left behind to catch up!
Thank you and just take small steps as needed. Hoping to provide more here along with those courses.
What resonated? To be (harshly) honest, it wasn't any of the personal stuff, video essays or all the other stuff. It was seeing someone talk passionately about PKM, which I at the time I was starting to get passionate about as well. You seemd like a one-stop solution to get into PKM, like the authority in the field. (similar to AthleanX for fitness, in case you happen to know that channel). Essentially, I could tell from the video quality that there was real value in your channel. Seeing this value, and not wanting to miss out on any future value, I instantly subscribed.
Thank you for sharing this. I do know AthleanX and that's an interesting parallel. I'm going to look more closely at it thanks to you.
I just arrived at your channel because I just started diving into Obsidian. It's really inspiring to see someone be genuine and acknowledge that something needs to change. Hustle culture has a toxic side and so many people forget to leave room for themselves to be themselves. I watched this video to the finish, and the reason was because I could tell it was real. Thanks for being authentic. We definitely need more of that in the world. I look forward to seeing how things evolve. Liked and subscribed, and let's see where all this takes us. Keep it playful.
Hey really glad to hear you enjoyed the video and are new to the channel. Yes, I hope I can find a good balance here moving forwards. Let's see!
I always wanted to hear more about what you find exciting, what intrigues you, what starts the sparks. Thats why the New direction of your Channel sounds something I want to be part of. I wish you all the best, take care!
Alright, happy to hear. They'll definitely be more of that then :)
I really enjoyed learning about your history and the history of the work.
Thanks for listening!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am an accidental creator too and the TH-cam burnout is honestly so real :') Wishing you and your channel all the best!
Haha, another accidental creator, high five!
Thanks for making this video! I am really looking forward to seeing your new content, especially as someone who hasn't been able to attend your workshops in the past!
I appreciate that, thank you.
With the quality and enthusiasm, I was frankly surprised you were experiencing this tension between the cohort effort and youtube channel effort Nick, but hearing your perspective makes perfect sense.
I'm GLAD you're navigating your way through (like you expertly did by creating MOCs in the tension between top down rigid structure and bottom up fluidity) and, more importantly, THRILLED for your path forward and novel ideas -- like the 5 decade rule :)
Looking forward to the changes ❤
It's really nice to hear this, thanks Sean :)
As one of those couple hundred people who loves your next level offerings and workshops, your content is so rich and dense that I worry about my own burnout from trying to take it all in! Thank you for modeling meaning, "zooming out," and aging gracefully.
Ahh, thanks Vanessa. It's going to be an ongoing tension, but feeling better equipped for it.
Thank you for all the work you and your team are doing, Nick! I would say you don't do TH-cam the wrong way, you do it your own way, which makes it unique. Linking Your Thinking has felt special to me since the very first video I saw. And I always appreciate your honest and open style of communication. Excited to see where it goes from here!
Well thank you, I appreciate you
I feel curious. I feel connected. I've enjoyed both the front of and the back of the stage with your videos and products Nick. I've also had my own challenges with job burnout this year and the timing of this video is perfect. I don't want to see other people going through burnout, but I'm glad they are recognizing it like I am and try to get out of the vicious cycle. You and your team are so great, keep doing what you are doing and can't wait to see what's next!
Many thanks Skip. It's real. It's happening more and more. Hopefully us talking about it is helpful for others too.
"If we could learn how to balance rest against effort, calmness against strain, quiet against turmoil, we would assure ourselves of joy in living and psychological health for life " - Josephine Rathbone, physiologist
Hope you and your team find a good balance and feel better soon. I'm new to Obsidian (1 week), and your beginners videos 3 years ago are good info for me
That's a great quote, thanks for sharing. Also, I'm excited for your journey into Obsidian.
Welcome back, king 🫡 !
It's interesting how you're intentionally choosing TH-cam to be loose as a way of recharging from the intensive back-of-stage efforts. It's definitely against traditional creator advice of sticking to your niche or making videos relevant to your services. But recently, I've also come to realize how energizing and liberating it is to make videos for the sake of sharing your curiosities in creative ways, which ultimately has been the foundation of LYT. Excited to see where this new emphasis on vulnerability and wandering goes!
Hey thanks John! Yes, TH-cam will be a bit looser, but it will still have some intention to it as well. I think the big realization is just how even TH-cam feels like a walk in the park compared to the entire life cycle of a single cohort. (but maybe I'll feel differently after focusing more on TH-cam for the next six months or something...)
Nick, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this video. Although I am nowhere near as well known as you are, I definitely identify with the "Accidental Creator" discussion. I started sharing organization tips as a hobby and just recently monetized. Juggling that with a full time position in higher education and teaching part-time at two other institutions gives me a full plate. My trick so far is to try to find common threads with what I'm doing, but I am definitely concerned with trying to do too much. I look forward to more of your videos.
It means a lot knowing that there are others who resonate with the "Accidental Creator" discussion.
Thank you for all the effort and time spent helping to build up the knowledge management space in general and then building the amazing community that is LYT!
Thank you Clayton I appreciate that.
Nick, just know that you have a whole community here to support you. You have been such a sensei for us and we are truly appreciative.
Thanks for the ongoing support Greg!
I really appreciate your authenticity and that you are striving to make videos for really important reasons. It inspired me and made me feel joyful.
I saw that development coming. Wish you all the luck. We will be on the lookout for all the interesting staff you will keep producing.
Many thanks 🙏
Have only just discovered your channel, but am definitely curious to find out more, and think that all of the upcoming plans that you mentioned here are going to be great. Certainly want to join you for the ride. True fans, just like true friends, place the health and happiness of the creator above the content itself. It is such a joy to feel your joy for your areas of interest as you explain how you think and feel, and I am truly grateful that you have decided to share your ideas and impressions with the world. We need to enable the development of more "digital gardens" like yours to help restore the rainforest minds that are so often destroyed and cut down to size in the sawmill of standardized schooling.
I'm going to be honest with you. Since I discovered Obsidian I fell into an youtube rabbit hole full of people talking about it and teaching, and yours was one of those. I did forget about your channel for some time though, until a friend of mine who's starting to use obsidian sent me a video of yours. First of all, it is awesome that you got to work on Better Call Saul. I loved every part of it!
Second, I appreciate so much that you are being honest. I too had a burnout this year. Now, with more "free time", I'm dedicating myself to practice and gather information about what I truly like.
See, this week I just started to write my own weekly newsletter, so this video kind of makes me feel less....idk, maybe less worried and more confident about the fact that I can talk about a variety of things and still find people who also think alike.
What I mean is that sharing your vulnerability might feels scary but that gives people like me the motivation to keep going. I'm still pretty freaking scared tho.
The insights that resonates with me the most are the ones about doing with intention and the one about pausing. I've been re-reading my Henri Bergson favorite book (Matter and Memory - highly recommend it) and doing our actions with intention means also exercising our freedom. That, together with pausing, reminds me of the practice of Yoga. Pausing with intention, moving with intention. keep up the good work, friend 🖖 Always inspiring.
Thanks Stephanie. I appreciate reading your message and hearing where you are in life at the moment 🖖
Felt so much of this, Nick!
We need to hang out some time.
Happy to hear James. And yes, I hope we can find a reason where we're in the same place long enough to do so!
Thank you for your vulnerability Nick, it's beautiful. I can only speak for myself, but it feels like a lot for me as a backstage community member as well. I feel super excited because of the exceptionally high value education, but it's been very intense with Notemaking Mastery following the LYT cohort so quickly. I can't even imagine how intense it must've been for you and the team.
I'm not sure if this helps but I really love the self-paced lessons and am mixing and matching lessons from the different programs (LYT Core Curriculum, WOW Self-paced, NMM, Ideaverse Pro/Zero). It allows me to focus on what I need right now to support what I'm working on, without the FOMO that I experience when I'm also trying to keep up with a live cohort. And the content in the Masterclass Vault is golden too! So I guess what I'm trying to say is; as a paying community member I'm getting the most value out of the self-paced courses and pre-recorded lessons, along with the community engagement/interaction. I wonder how the balance is for other community members.
Thank you, lots of insights, especially about the front and back stage
I am happy you have (finally) embraced your identity as an influencer 😊
It's only taken four years of doing it 😉
Can totally relate to the need to zoom out from time to time. That was the start of my journey into note taking/making and PKM
There is a connection between working hard and returning to my personal thinking space to mentally dawdle and tinker.
This resonates so deeply. I'm doing deep work these days to get to the core root cause behind why we overwhelm ourselves, as it's been a huge issue for me as well. I've discovered some deep buried things in myself, for example a fear of boredom (because in boredom there's nothing to maintain the built-up egoic structure). Another was feeling led around by opportunities and other people's suggestions of what to do, pulling into places I'm not truly ready for, and then trying to execute their ideas (especially through a business course). There's a root of how the mind operating system functions, which is parts-based, not holistic. But capturing and organizing all the parts can't be done, because it's unending -- there's too many, and all those parts put together don't equal the whole.
And what ends up happening is when I live this way, I can do all the organizing robotic work. But I can't get the awareness to execute on the mind's well-laid plains, so anything that requires real creativity of presence doesn't flow that way (a bit hard to explain without context).
In people at the height of productivity with complete acceptance of running their life by the mind's system, productivity can run fairly well and a lot gets done. But for me I've seen beyond that, and I'm ultimately choosing to move beyond egoic-based living. So I've learned that because I'm not fully choosing the mind's way, it works less well for me than it does for those others.
This summer I reached the extreme end of 2 years of incredible yet complex built-up systems in Notion that my mind can creatively plan, but that I end up not aligning to actually live out. The more structure there was, the less I wanted to use it. So it became like a 1000 story skyscraper full of intricate tunnels and hallways and elevators, but with no real space for living in. And only a few tenants here and there.
I tried to corral them to force them there, but there was less and less willingness to do so.
So a couple weeks ago I threw all that structure away and landed in Obsidian, looking for a much simpler and more expansive opportunity to bring my core work into the world that is designed for being acting, not mind.
I worked as a doctor for 30 years. At the end of the pandemic, after three years of working 96 hours a week, I burned out. It was so bad that the simple idea of returning to work at the hospital was making me feel bad. I left my job, I graduated in philosophy, and I am doing a doctorate. I am happy, I have a life that I love now. Vulnerability can be scary. But it can disclose to you your deepest humanity and become a superpower to change your life. Obstacles limit you only if you see them as obstacles. What if they are opportunity to change? I wish you all the best, and I hope you can be happy with yourself soon
Wow, thank you for sharing your journey. And thank you for your efforts during the pandemic. I'm glad that you were able to find a new path that fills you up.
Excellent video, thank you for sharing what you have learned!
Thank you for sharing your caring
@@linkingyourthinking Well, I am very excited to be seeing more of you here on TH-cam and engaging with you and your very helpful ideas here. Fantastic! Another thing I am looking forward to is your upcoming book: I think you are currently working on a book, correct? The two obviously fit together very well, creating more valuable feedback loops for everybody: You, your premium customers, your TH-cam audience, the future readers of your book, and humanity. I am quite serious about this last one: At the dawn of AI it is Linked Thinking/Zettelkasten that will propel human thinking to the next level. I think your work is an important contribution to the future of interdisciplinary thinking, writing, and understanding. Thank you so much for what you are doing. You can be very excited about this space you fell into!
@@daggerman-dcgk This does get me excited, thank you!
LONG-TERM certainly the right step! Like investing makes more sense than trading. I’m glad you chose that path and let us participate #longgame
Yes, I'm definitely in this long-term and want to play the long game.
@@linkingyourthinking That's awesome!
Yes i understand, I had a burnout couple of years ago while i was very productive , i really needed to zoom out which i didn't do :)
It's an ongoing tension for sure, but talking about it helps.
Hi Nick, 3 things I thought during your video: 1) From what started as a hobby, you're now in conflict of how your personal interests are being obscured by the business opportunities you are being able to seize. This is a dilema inherent to entrepreneurship; 2) The burn out effect is wide across society and this, at least in my understanding, is an effect of productivity culture and technological rationality. Scholars have been talking about these effects for many decades now. Bifo Berardi is one that is interesting to read. He talks about the negative cognitive effects of cognitive capitalism; and 3) As a listener, it felt like I was witnessing a therapy session. If you don't have a therapist, a good idea would be to have one so that you can continue this self-reflection. I'm not saying that it wasn't a good video or anything of that sort, I am simply pointing to something that you might not have realized? Not sure, but I thought it would be helpful to give you some feedback. Cheers!
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I think I would like to learn more about the individual you referenced. I remember the stat that talked about writers, as a profession, had more cognitive issues as they aged, and I found that interesting as I found it worrisome. Also, I'm fairly new to therapy, but have always been very open to it, and have been exploring it more recently.
Спасибо за видео! Делай то, что любишь ❤ и не выгорай 😊
That's the secret. I'll try...without trying harder
found your channel when trying to understand Obsidian, but only subscribed after watching this video. I am curious what you will share going forward.
I wanted to choose one word that might describe your Superpower, Nick. That word is “Relatable”, IMO.
Ahh, well happy to hear that. I'm trying to show up as I am
You've fallen into the trap that idea oriented people are prone too. More good ideas than the drive that's available can sustain. It isn't surprising that the Ideaverse you've created can make this possible. Something about the unlimited nature of the digital world is like a Thanksgiving feast, where you get about a quarter way through your plate and realize your eyes were bigger than your stomach. There is an art to saying no to an idea. Some people call it a discipline, and it certainly requires discipline, but I believe it is more of an art. That is because you must, in saying no, decide which ideas are aligned with what you already have going on and which ones are a good idea but could only spread you thinner. Which ideas make your efforts deeper rather than wider? I deeply appreciate your efforts and thoughts Nick. There were parts of this video that basically describe why I couldn't participate in your cohort as deeply as I desperately wanted to. I definitely recognize this same cycle in my own life. Thanks for continuing to be honest with yourself and with us. This challenge of priorities in life always reminds me of Augustine's principle of rightly ordered loves.
"But living a just and holy life requires one to be capable of an objective and impartial evaluation of things: to love things, that is to say, in the right order, so that you do not love what is not to be loved, or fail to love what is to be loved, or have a greater love for what should be loved less, or an equal love for things that should be loved less or more, or a lesser or greater love for things that should be loved equally." (On Christian Doctrine, I.27-28)
Yes, an abundance of ideas causes its own downstream issues, though I'll take those over the issues that a lack of ideas provides. I hope you're doing well Jerrod!
@@linkingyourthinking 100% agreement, thanks Nick!
I fall into this when listening to podcasts as a way to cope; to take my mind off things. Next thing I know I'm wanting to transcribe a long section from the podcast for my notes. Thanks for this comment.
@@Earl_E_Burd Haha, been there too!
Nick I love your video essays please more
We'll see. I'll need to make them in a way that enough folks here will want to watch, that's the challenge of it.
Emptying space only to fill it because you were so inspired? 😂I have to hold myself back in the struggle to do the same all the time. Thanks for sharing what you’re learning. And I am sure your TH-cam is going to be better than ever, it was already pretty darn good so…
Hahaha, what a funny trap we lay out for ourselves.
I am new to obsidian, I want to start using obsidian but I am afraid and I don't know that after taking all of those notes how am I going to revise before exam, in the conventional method you have fixed amount of pages with clear table of contents so I know how much I have to study unfortunately I don't know how would I do that with obsidian I am afraid I would end up on rabbit hole and instead of studying what I need to study i would just study random things by following all those links, and again before starting studying i don't even know how many links or pages I have to go through🤔
Any ideas how you guys deal with that
I would say don't do anything drastic, but just play around, maybe watch my beginner series on Obsidian, and just experiment from time to time
You do you. It’s all good. One word for you…. Fractals. You gotta look into fractals. 😊
Haha, you delivered that like in the 60's movie The Graduate: "Plastics"
Wow!!! You are the man! Thanks for the honesty and open-hearted sharing with unknown, faceless people like me. Knowing to know that you're in burnout is a gift, which will help you excel 100 or 1000 times more. I really enjoyed and still enjoying your "Cornell Notes" clip th-cam.com/video/WkfEKI469J8/w-d-xo.html and it's still my favorite clip with lots of insights and life's comparison and advice. It's a "gold mine" for me. Welcome back!!
For sure, glad you Ramesh. You got me to rewatch Cornell Notes just now. It's better than I remember on providing insights on reading and making notes.
@@linkingyourthinking Your good times not only motivate and energize us all, but your perseverance during challenging moments and your recovery journey are also incredibly inspiring. You bring such a positive vibe, and we all support you at all times!
❤ !
🙏
Curious, did you major in something in college which allowed you to get the video editor job? Looking into this myself but have an English master's...
My major in college was in civil engineering, so I would say the overlap between that and picture editing is fairly minimal. That means, your formal education is not holding you back. No one looks at what somebody's done in school when it comes to most of the professions in the industry. They want to know if you are fast learner, a self starter, and someone they wouldn't mind spending 12 hours in the same room with day after day.
@linkingyourthinking Thank you sincerely for your reply! I appreciate it and will take what you said with me moving forward. A few years ago, I discovered I had what felt like a natural talent for video editing. It's something I've been wanting to pursue for a while but have been reticent about. Now, however, I think I'll just go for it. Thanks for the encouragement and words of wisdom.
@@stretch1807 Good luck. It's a mix of talent and finding/making opportunities. (And more the latter, because the opportunities are what develops the talent!)
Is 'backstage' a euphemism for customer? So Fremium vs Premium? Sorry I'm new here.
No one else is using it as one, but I guess I am. Basically, yeah, "backstage" is me referring to the workshops and cohorts we run.
@@linkingyourthinking I really don't think viewers have much insight into just how much effort goes into being a creator and trying to make a living from it. I know I don;t Seems like you have had a fairly significant realisation and reset. I hope it all works out. I do remember watching some of your vids back in my formative Obsidian adventures.
@@MattJoyce01 well, we go all out for our cohorts. Self-paced products are easier to maintain after they are initially created. But every cohort is a major lift.
This is problem of this channel. Not many videos despite awesome content.
Haha, thank you for pointing out this channel's "problem" ;)
Map of Contents = Table of Contents. How does MoC differ from ToC?
A TOC is a static outline of a book. An MOC can be that sometimes. But other times it's a "mapping" note...a note of discovery...a bottom-up type of note. So even if it overlaps with a TOC, an MOC has a more dynamic and changing nature.
@@linkingyourthinking Thank you for the explanation. So, an Index + TOC combined. Would that be a fair statement?
@@bobbyv3 No. Other vids and free downloadable product offer complete walkthroughs on the difference.
I thought having a second brain was aimed to Prevent this 😅
I really think this pkm thing was blown way out of proportion, you know, like any thing marketable?
My ideaverse rocks. I love it. Having one led to countless wins personally and professionally. But you know what, they don't seem to create more hours in the day, blasted things! All smoke and mirrors I guess
I feel more Curious about where you are headed - it is exciting - tingling, I feel more connected to you and your team - because you shared your vulnerability. Looking forward to whatever your next stage brings Nick and team... you always leave me wanting to know more - and that to me is what I am looking for in the people who I want to spend more time with - the creative people. I also truly hope that you will be open to creating and sharing live and in public with friends and other people who stimulate your thinking and help to bring the best out of you. Just know that there are so many of us here who are more than willing to help out every way possible. (@createpei)
So many kind words, especially this phrase "you always leave me wanting to know more". Thanks Scott, and here's to the next phase.