As we gear up for the Second Brain Summit, I’m pleased to introduce the next two remarkable speakers who will be joining us this October—Stacey Harmon and Federico Simionato.
Evernote has been a trusted tool for so many of us over the years, and since its acquisition by Bending Spoons in 2022, it’s undergone a transformation that’s taken its capabilities to the next level.
Stacey, the OG Evernote Certified Expert, and Federico, Evernote’s Product Lead, are the perfect duo to walk us through what’s new and exciting.
In their session, “The New (Evernote!) Elephant in the Room,” they’ll dive into the 50+ new features that have been released in 2024, share insights on how Evernote’s most effective users are expanding their digital creativity, and discuss how the new era of Evernote is all about building a product with users, for users.
It’s going to be an enlightening conversation for anyone looking to make the most out of their digital tools.
And of course, you’ll get the chance to meet Stacey, Federico, and many more of your favorite teachers and creators in person on October 3-4 in LA.
How to Apply What You Read in Books
Ever read a book that felt life-changing but didn’t actually change your life? 🙋 I’ve been there—devouring hundreds of books over the years, only to find that many of those groundbreaking insights faded away without making a real impact.
Now, instead of just consuming more content, I focus on applying what I learn using a 4-step process I call the CODE framework:
- Capture: While reading on my iPad, I highlight the most useful, counter-intuitive, and applicable parts. I then rely on Readwise to sync the highlights to my digital notes app where they'll automatically appear as a new note in Evernote.
- Organize: Next, I create a new project notebook in Evernote where I gather all the notes, insights, lessons, and advice in one central place. This is key—starting a specific project means I’m working toward a tangible outcome.
- Distill: Next, I distill the best parts of my digital notes, bolding certain passages so they stick out from the surrounding text. And then, highlighting the best of the bolded parts. (This is called my Progressive Summarization technique.)
- Express: Finally, I shape the information into a form that best suits my needs so I can take action on them. That can take the form of a checklist, a blog post, a new habit, products to buy, or reminders on my phone.
The answers to so many of our problems are already out there. They’re just not well-distributed – stuck in books, classes, videos, articles.
That’s why it’s so important to master the practice of taking the information in our lives, collecting it, organizing, distilling, and expressing it, so it can have its maximum impact on what matters to us, and saving the results in a trusted place outside of our own brains.
The 10 Most Transformative Books on Personal Development I’ve Read
I’ve read hundreds of books on productivity and self-improvement over the years.
Many of them are filled with vague prescriptions or clichéd advice, but a small number were truly transformative for me.
They served as intellectual lighthouses on my journey, helping me understand what was happening to me as I explored my past, my psyche, and my pain.
Here are the 10 personal development books that have been most inspiring and impactful for me, in the order in which I encountered them.
Book Recommendation: Give to Grow by Mo Bunnell
Ever since reading Dan Pink's classic book To Sell Is Human years ago, I've realized the importance of sales and persuasion for virtually anything you want to accomplish in life.
But I never knew how to actually put that insight into practice until now. Over the last year, Mo Bunnell has been my teacher on the new, more evolved and modern manifestation of sales, which is "business development."
I summarized some of the most valuable lessons he's taught me in my blog post The B2B Education Frontier: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of Corporate Training but now it's time to hear from the master himself.
Mo is the founder of Bunnell Idea Group, one of the leading business development training companies in the country. He and his small group of expert trainers teach organizations like Aetna, Boston Consulting Group, Sotheby's, Goldman Sachs, Wiley, Bayer, UPS, American Express, and hundreds of others how to frame, present, and pitch their services so people want to say yes.
If you are responsible for "selling" anything, whether it's a product or service, an idea or a perspective, a job application or college essay, you should learn from the best, and Mo has packaged everything he knows about world-class biz dev into his new book Give to Grow.
What I love about his approach is that it's enlightened and people-centric, focusing on the incalculable value of long-term, authentic relationships based on trust. But it's also eminently practical, showing you how and when to communicate, how to structure partnerships and pitches, all under the umbrella of building a sustainable, ethical business.
For a preview of the book's main ideas, check out Mo's brand-new YouTube channel with short, concrete lessons.
Help Us Choose the Best Title for Our Next YouTube Video
On Thursday, we'll publish our next YouTube video featuring my public speaking coach, Michael Gendler of Ultraspeaking, who reveals his intuitive approach to public speaking and communication.
In our conversation, Michael shares his 3-step formula for unlocking spontaneous speaking with confidence. It’s packed with tips to help you communicate more effectively and includes some valuable life lessons as well.
We value your opinion and would love your help in choosing the best title for this video. Please take a moment to vote on your favorite from the options below:
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