Time Travel by Kendrick Lamar & Roaming 24*7
An interesting take on taking notes by Kendrick Lamar and how I see the revolutionizing application - Roam Research, panning out.
Hey there! Hope you’re doing well on a cold-January Sunday. I encountered a David Perell’s short essay and I thought I’d give you my spin on it.
By the way, thank you all for your amazing responses to the habits I wrote about in my Annual Review of 2020.
If you haven’t already, read it by clicking below:
Whenever I look at the old photos of myself in all the places I have been to and all the people I have made friends with, it fills my heart with a lot of good memories.
You know exactly what I am talking about. Photos unlock our memories which unlock more memories. For example, when you see a photo of you having fun at the beach with your pals, it takes you back to that year of high school. One photo can elicit memories of all the places you visited, all the people you were having fun with and the emotional strings that were playing in your heart during that time.
Note-taking is identical. It’s like having a conversation with your past and future self.
Kendrick Lamar is an award-winning rapper and songwriter best known for his innovative take on life. This is what the Grammy winner Kendrick had to say 👇
“I have to make notes because a lot of my inspiration comes from meeting people or going outside the country, or going around the corner of my old neighborhood and talking to a five-year-old little boy. And I have to remember these things. I have to write them down and then five or three months later, I have to find that same emotion that I felt when I was inspired by it, so I have to dig deep to see what triggered the idea… It comes back because I have key little words that make me realize the exact emotion which drew the inspiration.”
Words are like photos, which trigger a torrent of emotions and cascade of memories. They have infinite patience. By note-taking, Kendrick travels through time. I will go far as to say that thinking & note-taking combined is a time machine.
Someone once said to me that writing notes is a rebel against the entropy of memory.
What do I use?
Answer: Roam Research
I have proudly been part of the #roamcult since Apr-2020.
The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world. —Malcolm Gladwell
Trust me, I had no idea about the structure of this post, all my notes and ideas magically align themselves the moment I open my graph on Roam. Writing does not just refine the ideas I already have but decants new ones. It is magically unrealistic.
You might ask me what is Roam? The simple answer would be that it’s a note-taking application that will cost you $180 a year.
What makes it worth it? It’s an app that connects our ideas the same way our brains do. It’s a way of fomenting creativity.
I think that Roam Research can organize your life like it did mine. It operates by association.
If this sounds at all exciting to you, I’d love to keep you in the loop for my next piece.
If you contribute to your notes consistently, then the value of your Zettelkasten compounds over time. Zettelkasten is a writing and thinking process developed by Niklas Luhmann, a German sociologist who wrote 70 books and nearly 400 peer-reviewed articles in a 30-year career. He credits much of that success to an index card-based note-taking system he called Zettelkasten. You can know more about that by clicking on the link.
https://www.roambrain.com/implementing-zettelkasten-in-roam/
I have got to a point that I will check my roam first, even before Google.
It is a creator economy and it feels like Roam attracts people who see it as more than a note-taking app or a database. People who are not just angling for productivity, but who are in a sense hoping to optimize themselves. People who, in essence, want a second brain.
I have listed some of the beginner-friendly resources at the end which might help you kickstart your wonderful journey in Roam.
ENDNOTE: Attention Spans
People don't have short attention spans:
They finish 3 hour Joe Rogan episodes.
They binge 14-hour TV shows.
They have short consideration spans: they must be hooked quickly.
Point: Don't fear making great, in-depth content. But, ensure your first minute is incredible.
Until next time,
Darshil
👋 The End
Thanks for joining me! Let me know what you’re reading, learning, watching or thinking about. If you wish to get in touch, message me on Twitter or Instagram, or reply to this post/email. If you would like to know how do I operate my personal Roam. hit me up on Twitter.ROAM RESEARCH RESOURCES:
YouTube:
Roam Research 101 by Anonym.s.
Tutorials consist of complete beginner to advanced features. Goal Management, Daily Notes, Project Management, Weekly & Monthly Review in Roam, Block References, and much more.Ali Abdaal, Cambridge University Graduate
Websites and Blogs:
RoamStack.com (my personal favourite)
Newsletter: