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04
Progressive
Summarization

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Intention of the Unit

To learn a new method for summarizing

digital notes in a way that makes them
both easily discoverable, and easily
understandable

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The 3 pillars

CAPTURE ORGANIZE RETRIEVE

Progressive Summarization P.A.R.A. Just-in-Time Project Mgmt
Practice

Unit 4 Unit 2 Unit 6

Progressive Summarization Organizing for Insight Workflow & Retrieval
Theory

Unit 5 Unit 7
Unit 3
Maximizing Just-In-Time
Digital Cognition
Return-on-Attention Project Management

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Conventional approaches to organization

VS.

Tagging-first Notebook-first

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#interviews
Tagging-first le s
#we arab

ting
#cr

rke
afts a t a
#bo
#d

ma
okn
otes
ity

line
tiv

#on
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ro
#p

#neu
rosc
i ence
#U
X

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Notebook-first

productivity crafts booknotes data online marketing

interviews design wearables UX neuroscience

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Note-first

Tags Notebooks

Notes

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Design

Context
Discoverability

Understanding
Compression

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Compression Context

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Compression Context

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Compression Context

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Compression Context

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“How do I make what I’m

Compression: consuming right now easily
discoverable for my future self?”

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Progressive Summarization

Layer 5: Remix

Layer 4: Mini-summary

Layer 3: Highlighted passages

Layer 2: Bold passages

Layer 1: Notes
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Progressive Summarization
Discoverability
Compression
Layer 5: Remix

Layer 4: Mini-summary

Layer 3: Highlighted passages

Layer 2: Bold passages

Layer 1: Notes
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Progressive Summarization

n d i n g
rsta
unde
Layer 5: Remix

Layer 4: Mini-summary

Layer 3: Highlighted passages

Layer 2: Bold passages

Layer 1: Notes
Context
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Layer 1: Notes

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Layer 2: Bold passages

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Layer 3: Highlighted passages

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The futility of tags for creative work

appreciation tradition ritual modes of experience detached skepticism non-rational

sociopsychological phenomena common sense intuition principles of reasoning math

cognitive science useful metaphors theory cognition mind teleological black box

understandable evidence actual incentives high-impact cognitive hacks domain-specific bias

heuristic algorithms debiasing fundamental truths moral axioms social fictions

tribal markers propositional belief memories models habits proxy for usefulness

evidence-based inquiry field performance social psychology

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Layer 3: Highlighted passages

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Layer 4: Mini-summary

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Layer 5: Remix

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Most people’s notes

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Most
Your people’s
personalnotes
information
landscape

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1. Non-universal

Layer 1

Layer 2

Layer 3

Layer 4

Layer 5

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My notes breakdown

Layer 5: <1% remixed

Layer 4: 5% re-summarized

Layer 3: 20% highlighted

Layer 2: 25% bolded

Layer 1: Notes saved on 50% of all sources consumed

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2. Resonance-driven

what it all “means”

extremely logical hierarchy

analysis, interpretation, categorization

expose the semantic hooks

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Most notes
Your people’s notes

Your lens is
what matters

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3. Simple, with one rule:

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“Simple, clear purposes and principles give

rise to complex and intelligent behavior.
Complex rules and regulations give rise to
simple and stupid behavior.”

Dee Hock
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“Design an interaction model for the worst

version of yourself - the one that's tired, lazy,
unmotivated, frazzled - because that's the one
that usually shows up when you need a solid
workflow to fall back on.”

About Face
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Up next…

05
Maximizing
Return-on-Attention
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Lecture 2 - Action Steps

Watch videos for Units 3 and 4

Unit 3 Exercise: 12 Favorite Problems (the Feynman Method)

Unit 4 Exercise: Markup a Note using Progressive Summarization

Bonus content: Stacey Harmon’s guest lecture on becoming an Evernote

power user

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