Why Aren't You Using Your Heroes' Tools?

Рет қаралды 49,027

John Fish

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 93

@thejohnfish Жыл бұрын

PS for some more actionable productivity tips check out my series on FamClubb: bit.ly/johnfishfamclub #ad

@natalieramirez889 Жыл бұрын

I just enrolled! Thank you and I love your content.

@subhombaruah8004 Жыл бұрын

"The most dangerous distractions are the ones you love, but that don't love you back" - Warren Buffett 👨‍🎓 Thanks for the vid John, really loved it

@tanayjoshi7269 Жыл бұрын

My crush (honestly)

@subhombaruah8004 Жыл бұрын

@@tanayjoshi7269 i can relate lol 😅

@martianbilal Жыл бұрын

I had tried both of these techniques: going full blown pencil and paper, and using airplane mode hours. Personally, the pen and pencil hours were literally physically tiring, I enjoyed writing, but it was too hard. Later on, started using airplane mode during focused hours, removed unnecessary distractions, and it worked much better. Not only I was able to think deeper for longer periods of times, the slow deep thinking was quite enjoyable as well.

@thejohnfish Жыл бұрын

awesome, going to enjoy playing with these! any other suggestions?

@martianbilal Жыл бұрын

@@thejohnfish while working I usally use forest extension to black list some of the site, and then use a youtube extension named "unhook" which remove the recommended videos list and other distractions. I also put my mac and phone on do not disturb for this time.

@vivianhir3930 Жыл бұрын

@@thejohnfish For me I have been using Cold Turkey Micromanager to write things on Word. Alternatively I have used Cold Turkey writer to churn out some content. It's awesome and I recommend! Same with Cold Turkey's ability to block websites on all browsers on the computer.

@accipigna2311 Жыл бұрын

I need disconnection so much for my mental clarity

@itsmaylise Жыл бұрын

Right!? Hard to find the time though lately

@cerdy6756 Жыл бұрын

I had the same thought a few days ago so I immediately deleted all my social media accounts but messengers and I wanna say how good I feel since that decision, I really recommend u that, ofc it's not gonna be easy but you will be so happy after some time

@michellexcomputer Жыл бұрын

Same!

@jeremycollins2694 Жыл бұрын

This is the kind of simple but briliant and profound films which you do so well. Great film and great that you’re back.

@joeljs9778 Жыл бұрын

I got a windows 98 laptop from my parents. The battery is long gone and imagine how difficult it is to export something from a machine that is 25 years old. But damn it is great to write on and there’s little distraction. Also it enhances your notion as a writer when you’ve got dedicated tools that are this cool.

@dereckpiche9637 Жыл бұрын

I’ve been back to “pen and paper” with the ReMarkable for a few months. By far my best purchase of all time. The strain of writing by hand will cause you to really think before you transcribe. You will start forcing yourself to walk a little with your ideas in your head before deciding whether to immortalise them or to let them pass. You will want to distill the ones you keep, to make them as neat and clear as possible. E

@ragagno Жыл бұрын

I switched from pen and paper to iPad, I find that putting it in focus mode helps a lot, distraction, or the *tentation* of distraction is harmful for achieving a flow state.

@QuestionsIAskMyself Жыл бұрын

I notice that when i decide to write on paper and pen, it’s as though I am keeping myself captive. I have no choice but to write every though and theories and never end. On a laptop, when the thoughts start getting more complicated, I immediately succumb to distractions like KZbin and checking emails.

@AresThePacifist Жыл бұрын

Haha I literally just checked your channel for the first time in a month and suddenly you upload a video. Great video as always!!!

@danielvictorazeredo9841 Жыл бұрын

Hey, John! I'm from Brazil and I love your videos. I whatch you since 2019 🤯. A tip that make english videos easier for foreign is write important mentions, like names, places, etc. Love this one! This practice of read letters and journals is something that I've thinking at some time. Good work!

@matiasortizxxi Жыл бұрын

I've took the decision a long time ago to have no notifications at all; only WhatsApp, but without the notification sound, just the alert on the screen if I was already on my phone. Also, having an app (or extension, in Chrome) like Forest, Appblock or Blacklist (i think) helps me with unwanted openings of apps or webpages during my deep work hours. Take care, John! Your content is always amazing!

@mindfulnessnowCA Жыл бұрын

I don't remember the episode # but Cal Newport shared something of the same principle of having less efficient tools to produce great work. No matter how fast your computer is, it won't speed up our natural ability to slow down and think hard to come up with creative work.

@izzygrandic Жыл бұрын

Absolutely agree. "Efficiency is not the bottleneck to great work" Derek Sivers' writing process is similar. He only uses plain text files, disconnects from the internet, etc

@annaluisacruz1296 Жыл бұрын

I know you're probably busy lately but dude I love your videos so much, they inspire the sh*t outta me and I just wanna be consistently like you throughout my life so please create more!! 🤙😶‍🌫️

@erich9779 Жыл бұрын

his not busy lol thats the reality.

@annaluisacruz1296 Жыл бұрын

@@erich9779 he literally moved to california to work on startups after graduating in harvard, and founded his own company in the meantime

@claudiusmarcellus1347 Жыл бұрын

The problem with pure airplane mode to me is the fact that sometimes we do need internet access for productive use of time, like legitimate internet research (not infotainment). So more dedicated site blockers that block every major internet distraction except for the legitimate research you're trying to navigate could be more useful.

@cdmwilks Жыл бұрын

I appreciate the bar at the bottom of the ad. Please don't stop doing that.

@jarik2510 Жыл бұрын

Back to beautifully compact ideas.

@mikedevlin2048 Жыл бұрын

The physical act of writing by hand is a direct link between the mind and words, nothing stands between them… Imagine journaling on a computer versus by hand, it is so much more personal, intimate… Handwriting is as personal as the way we speak, it can illustrate our emotions in the very lines we make on a page in a way that mechanical means will never get close to

@aciuschristophores7789 Жыл бұрын

Very very important observation. Along the lines of Cal Newport's revolutionary "Deep Work" of course and the idea of a Deep, meaningful life rather than bouncing between distractions till death.

@GlobalLeaderPearl Жыл бұрын

This guy gives me "Alien from the future" vibes honestly!

@elitefusion750 Жыл бұрын

We need to unplug in order to reconnect personally with our work, with ourself.

@authorgreene Жыл бұрын

I've written almost everything I've published using pen and paper for my first draft. It's certainly the superior tool IMHO. It slows me down and I tend to write longer works by hand then I do on computer. So, for novel-writing, paper is a thousand times better for getting the initial manuscript written. After revision, neither a computer nor hand-written manuscript has the appearance of superiority. But without the distraction of the internet, the process is much better writing initial drafts by hand.

@tobichls Жыл бұрын

Wow this was a very interesting video. I hadn't really considered thinking about my use of modern tech could be negatively impacting my work.

@Judahkor Жыл бұрын

John lays out some very specific tools in the FamClubb series. Super inspiring.

@tobichls Жыл бұрын

I wish I could see it but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available on the Google Play Store

@Judahkor Жыл бұрын

Ah yes we are currently only on iOS. Launching android in a few weeks.

@anitabrayco Жыл бұрын

Simple can be harder than complex.

@blonded5861 Жыл бұрын

I think this is an interesting idea and there's definitely some credibility to this but I think it's also to keep in mind the ways in which we've grown up learning and processing information. Unlike our predecessors who lived in very different times, I'd argue most of us today are used to synthesizing information from multiple disparate sources that we find online or stumble upon randomly in our 'non-productive' hours. I find that I write my best content when I have reference material and other random inspiration readily available at my fingertips but it's also true that there's a fine balance to strike between allowing yourself access to these while working and not getting carried away or distracted by them

@zyadtarek11 Жыл бұрын

this is truly true, I think that pen and paper is the best tools ever, it's just simple and that's what it makes it good

@madinabonuturdalieva8299 Жыл бұрын

Hi! Thank you so much for sharing. Going offline from any social media and just turning off all notifications is really really powerful technique to focus. I haven't been online on any of my social media accounts for the last 2 weeks whcih made me realize that I actually have more hours to get my work done than I thought before when I was getting stuck in the social media for hours unconciously!

@yuval7213 Жыл бұрын

I personally follow a couple of yours, and you give me such inspiration to read books! Now maybe the time has come to write a book?

@jyuart Жыл бұрын

I thought about this topic a lot and also tried different techniques. There are some points that either I missed from your video, or you missed (skipped). 1. When there is a talk about modern people being too focused on different tools for “increasing productivity”, helping us do our work, etc., I like to remind myself that those are not just weapons/tools but rather shields that are partially used to block us from the actual weapons of the modern environment. For example, I use a nice free blocker to help me not get into spending more time on social networks or yet another KZbin video, whereas those companies spend billions of dollars trying to do the opposite. So, we either get rid of all the technology in our lives or just adopt some of the tools that may seem funny compared to what people before us had to cope with 2. You said about writing with your pen or turning airplane mode on, but it seems that you mention only the active work periods. However, I noticed that periods of passiveness are much more important for those kinds of work. I am a software engineer, so I spend up to 10-12 hours a day near my computer, and I just go according to the plan I did before the week started. I feel that I don’t have new ideas or a-ha moments. But when the weekend comes, and I can let myself not use my laptop but just take a walk, read or do some other “real” stuff, ideas just flow in my head. What I mean by that is going offline just in periods of writing/coding/creating is not enough. We need space for our minds to generate new ideas, create new connections and so on. And that is much more difficult nowadays. I still don’t know what to do with it.

@friedrichnietzsche1853 Жыл бұрын

Only Josh could get that perspective!

@clipaqua8848 Жыл бұрын

im so glad you. brought my attention back to this... the best summer I ever had was the one where I had no access to technology. became a poet and found the Holy Spirit! no joke

@warrenjia2 Жыл бұрын

Thank you John for sharing! Hope you can make more videos on this topic and please share what other famous people's tools! Thanks!

@matiasortizxxi Жыл бұрын

Also, you should make a video on how you take notes (if you don't do it handwriting). What app/program do you use? Obsidian, Notion, Word, Vim + LaTeX (haha)?

@alfonsodiaz3795 Жыл бұрын

Great video! I was asking myself the same god damn question. How could the writers I admire create such great work with the technology they had at the time? Is it a matter of distractions? Since our ability to write by hand is so much slower than out thoughts (inner speech), couldn't this affect our work negatively? Can't believe you have adressed the same exact dilemma. Good luck with the experiment. Guess I'll join you!

@acrab4078 Жыл бұрын

I think it's not accurate to associate less efficient tools with better/more creative output. You're right in saying 1) efficiency is not the bottleneck to quality writing, 2) typing on a computer can lead to many distractions, and 3) focus can be created by eliminating those distractions, but it's still a jump to assume using less efficient tools, aka pen and paper, is going to give you the big break. I think it's also misleading to say for the majority of human history people have used basic tools to create great works, because, well for the majority of human history people were constrained by the writing technology they had. It's not evident it was a deliberate choice.

@thejohnfish Жыл бұрын

Super fair points--though I don't actually believe that using less efficient tools will lead to a "big break" (I can see why you might believe that from the video). I do think it's possible, though, that work done with less distracting tools can be higher quality. I did make the point re: constraints in the video but you may have missed that!

@themaxtax5803 Жыл бұрын

this! just because more advanced technology is available to us it doesn’t mean that it inherently makes everything better. i definitely enjoy doing my work on paper more sometimes because i feel more thoughtful that way. wow this brings up many important points about controlling our tech and not letting it control us

@aydensmith163 Жыл бұрын

This theme is laid out in Cal Newports book "Deep Work", for anyone who wants to explore deeper

@Vxlxnzxxlx Жыл бұрын

john i missed you

@masheeniblick Жыл бұрын

Cal Newport spoke about something similar to this recently, "The Failure of Cybernetic Productivity"

@prakash_77 Жыл бұрын

Fascinating. Food for thought!

@hammadahmed7582 Жыл бұрын

super thrilled to watch your video after a long time!

@blackofspace6982 Жыл бұрын

I am also going to join to this challenge :) I was already thinking about finding a way to teach myself to focus for longer hours without any distractions

@tanayjoshi7269 Жыл бұрын

I understand the point made in the video. However, how could one transition from computers to more basic tools if the output is to be observed only on the computer (eg: coding, etc). Also could you suggest any methods to improve self-discipline as I am someone who gets immediately distracted. What I mean is that external focus apps haven't helped me that much, so could you suggest any method or practice which could help me improve my focus? Thank you.

@InderS-j8g Жыл бұрын

For writer it makes sense that efficiency is not the bottleneck, but what about a designer? efficiency in a different perspective is the bottleneck, no? The learning curve to draw perfect circle, try different colors would make the tools of our heroes very hard for a vast majority of designers to do anything at all. Would you get more creativity/productivity out of pencil and paper in that scenario or through illustrator and similar apps? Same goes for other things like music production, or video editing etc. But yeah it does make sense for authoring, writing.

@bernhard9902 Жыл бұрын

Great video as always! I will be doing the same, could someone please ask if I finish my writing project a month later (21 Aug) haha

@jaqenhghar6372 Жыл бұрын

We missed you bro!

@ashilsalim409 3 ай бұрын

Need book recommendations come back!

@alessandrogrosso7896 Жыл бұрын

Amazing video John

@srel8901 Жыл бұрын

I did one year of not using my phone for entertainment, it was one of the most productive ones,before trying something like this remember that its fine if you had a break for a few hours, just give it a try.

@iswilkie Жыл бұрын

have u read deep work by cal newport ?

@FrankBott Жыл бұрын

it is too bad.. that we can pluck one of these great authors out of the past and give them a modern tool. see what they produce.. but.. would our insane high speed noise filled world.. make it impossible for them to create.. or at least create at the same level they have created ? thanks for sharing this conversation.. top notch.

@JhonyAndradeValarezo Жыл бұрын

I feel this video and John Fish channel has such high quality thought provoking content. I love it. Thank you @thejohnfish

@randomprince 11 ай бұрын

How can i manage my brakeup bro please help me... 🙏🏽😖

@joseperez-ig5yu Жыл бұрын

Hey John, the dilema that occurs when using a computer to do your writing instead of the old fashioned manner of pen and paper, is that you have a tendency of using computer generated information rather than your own ideas. In this manner many writings that people come up with may sound somewhat identical to the next guy's writing because they were both computer generated. Go ahead and experiment with both methods John and let us knowwhat conclusions you arrive at!😊

@gundoggydog Жыл бұрын

But how do i code without my computer :(

@HabiasaDeveloper Жыл бұрын

I've figured this concept out while I'm writing diaries. And I found out that good writers are out there in the middle of the woods having no distractions. Nad it's how Newton got his inventions

@MW-tf9dt Жыл бұрын

Tip of the day: stop smoking John, you will feel better and you will be able to focus better 👌

@migueldeleon9791 Жыл бұрын

amazing video as always

@MDobri-sy1ce Жыл бұрын

I missed your videos Jon! Also, are you still learning Svenska or was that just for university?

@GlobalLeaderPearl Жыл бұрын

He looks and sounds manufacturered😮

@ashish_sunny Жыл бұрын

Hear, hear!🍷

@JonasReichert1992 Жыл бұрын

I think Humans are aware of their mortality. That creates an urge to do everything as fast as possible because you don't want to waste time if it's limited.