The True Value of Notes Apps and Finding Work You Love

The True Value of Notes Apps and Finding Work You Love

Notes apps are where ideas go to die. This may sound counterintuitive, but it's actually a good thing. We save notes, links, ideas, and thoughts as insurance for the future. We write them down not to remember them, but to forget. It's a way of offloading our thoughts and findings so that we can feel safe in knowing that they're there if we ever need them again. We seek the new and better thing, constantly looking for the next app or tool that will help us organize and remember everything. But in reality, most of our thoughts and discoveries aren't actually valuable. We write them down and never give them a second thought. It's like writing something down, setting fire to the paper, and scattering the ashes to the wind. We're scared to lose our ideas and findings because we want them to have meaning. We want to feel productive and make progress.

Daniel Kahneman explains this behavior as "loss aversion" in his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow." Our response to losses is stronger than our response to gains. It's ingrained in our DNA, a biological response that has helped us survive and reproduce. We try to remember everything, fearing that we might forget something important. But the truth is, we can't and don't need to remember everything. We need to forget, but we first need to feel safe forgetting. We need to feel that our memories were not in vain, that they'll be there if we want them again. Only then can we let go.

In our pursuit of finding work we love, we often find ourselves climbing the ladder that someone else tells us to climb. We end up leaning the ladder against the wrong wall or no wall at all. Scott Dinsmore, in his TED Talk, explains the importance of becoming a self-expert and understanding ourselves. If we don't know what we're looking for, we'll never find it. We need to identify the things that we wake up loving to do, the things that people thank us for. Once we know ourselves and our passions, we can find work that aligns with our strengths, values, and who we are as individuals.

One of the reasons people don't pursue their passions is because they're told they can't do it. They start to believe it and either give up or never start in the first place. We need to prove ourselves and others wrong. We need to make little incremental pushes of what we believe is possible. As Jim Rohn said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." The people we surround ourselves with have a significant impact on our lives. We don't need to change our goals; we just need to change our surroundings. Surrounding ourselves with inspiring people and getting away from those who bring us down can make a world of difference.

The world is waking up to the possibility that what was once seen as impossible can become the new normal. We have a responsibility to show the world that it's possible. We need to do the things that inspire us so that we can inspire others to do the things that inspire them. But we can't do that unless we know what we're looking for. We need to discover the work we can't not do and live it not just for ourselves but for everyone around us. That's what starts to change the world.

In conclusion, notes apps serve as insurance for our ideas, allowing us to forget but feel safe in knowing that our thoughts and findings are there if we ever need them. Finding work we love requires understanding ourselves and identifying our passions. We need to surround ourselves with inspiring people and push the limits of what we believe is possible. Three actionable advice to take from this article are:

1. Embrace the idea of forgetting. Don't feel the need to remember everything. Offload your thoughts and findings onto notes apps or similar tools and trust that they'll be there if you need them again.

2. Take the time to understand yourself. Discover the things that you wake up loving to do, the things that people thank you for. Use this self-knowledge to find work that aligns with your strengths, values, and who you are as a person.

3. Surround yourself with inspiring people. Choose to spend time with individuals who lift you up and believe in what you can achieve. Distance yourself from those who bring you down or tell you that you can't pursue your passions.

Remember, you have the power to change the world by living the work you can't not do.