Let’s face it. 99% of digital information is noise. With Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1440, an information machine was created and instantly leveraged by opposing religious rivals with the spread of propaganda pamphlets throughout Europe. This information war was so effective, it split leading intellectuals of the time into 2 factions, changing the course of history in the west.
With the digital revolution, we are experiencing a similar phenomenon at an immensely faster rate. We are living in an age of digital flood. We are drowning in an endless sea of information, being bombarded by spam disguised as content and information.
But amidst all the noise are valuable gems, waiting for you to extract them and redistribute to others who are facing the same problem.
Do you see how important the role of a knowledge synthesizer is? We need more noise filters, more curators to block out the spam and create value. Everyone is starving for wisdom whether they realize it or not.
Even if there were a million knowledge synthesizers, it wouldn’t be nearly enough. Digital information is rapidly accelerating, not slowing down. Now we have copy & pated text, images, videos and even voices that are effortlessly being created and spread on a mass scale with AI.
This is why I believe note taking is an essential skill to develop in the information age. Think your yourself as a miner of digital gems and your note taking system is your pickaxe. This rare skill is growing increasingly valuable as information generation accelerates.
“In the future, the great division will be between those who can acquire skills and discipline their minds and those who are irrevocably distracted by all the media around them and can never focus enough to learn.” —Robert Greene
When you write notes with intent, you are distilling existing value to generate unique knowledge assets. This means you can literally create value out of thin air and earn an income sharing it. But it requires the discipline to focus on this task while changing your mindset from being a consumer to a creator. That’s where your ADHD brain becomes an advantage.
Your unique ability to identify patterns, be aggressively curious, hyperfocus on your interests and act upon your creative impulses is what will allow you to thrive in this role. But it requires discipline and accountability with the extra difficult challenge of not being carried away.
Here is a video I uploaded about how I have been using a pocket notebook instead of my phone to stay focused while taking notes on the go. I hope it provides some value to you.
Remember, you can always reach out to me if you need help getting started in this important and unique role as a value creator.
Stay curious, my friend.