Notion

I used Notion for the first time this morning by creating notes of websites I bookmarked on my phone. The bookmarks were building up as I do not have time to read these articles. My bookmarks have steadily increased causing me pressure to start reading. I got caught up in reading articles on the recent election result instead of these tabs on psychology, meditation, writing tips, and travel. I started to offload some of these URLs to Google Collections.

I used Notion for the psychology articles where I  noted the key ideas for me to practice. All of the articles come from Psychology Today which delves into mindfulness meditation and rumination. This website is a good resource for me especially since I stopped meeting with my therapist after she left the in-network list of my medical plan. I want to continue these sessions with another therapist next year. My therapist was very helpful to me during the periods of stress with the cancer scare, the death of my parents, and the change in my work situation.

Self-therapy helped me before working with an actual therapist when I explored CBT and journal writing on my own. I started exploring these subjects in detail when I moved to Singapore with the challenges of adapting to a new environment. However, reading self-help articles on the web and other challenges I face require knowledge management tools and techniques. 

I like Notion for its functionality and ease of use and generous fee-use option. Most of the content creators on youtube either use Notion or EverNote. I have used EverNote before but stopped using it after I exceeded my storage limit. I have started to clean up my old files and plan to return to being a user. These tools I now see these as indispensable in today's world with too much information overload.

'The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains' - mentions that the web has made our mind seek more information; like a user searching for drugs; for constant new information or mental stimulation. This has caused distraction and information overload and tools that manage knowledge like Notion or One Note become more important to daily life. The medium has become the message as well, especially the type that flows thru the web.

This challenge occurs every time a new technology is created. In the review of Nicholas Carr's book, the writer noted the experience of TS Eliot when he started to use the typewriter to create his poems. Eliot said the typewriter promotes lucidity but not nuance or subtle thinking. His poem ' The Wasteland' was typed partly on a typewriter when presented to Ezra Pound. It seems creativity has not been quelled. I have had similar thoughts when writing in my journal long hand as compared to typing in this blog.

Building a second brain with tools like Notion, One Note, etc. is a technique for self-care as well as being productive. To link the rise of these tools to the internet and information overload and the impact of the web to the way we think is valid. The goal is an organized mind with an emphasis on external thinking is also important in all endeavors such as being a writer. Having this framework in mind helps one understand how to use these tools.