[This is a follow up to my previous post about conscious consumption.]
How to consume consciously and build a network / web of content of your own that will keep getting richer over time? Instead of letting yourself get awash with the sea of daily content, adopt the framework of 12 questions.
Richard Feynman (renowned physicist, polymath, prankster and awesome human being) had this idea of writing down the 12 questions that would run subconsciously in his mind, helping his brain constantly look for solutions. This meant that he was adding layers to his understanding to these specific questions instead of randomly ‘browsing’, even in his consumption time.
In his own words:
“You have to keep a dozen of your favorite problems constantly present in your mind, although by and large they will lay in a dormant state. Every time you hear a new trick or a new result, test it against each of your twelve problems to see whether it helps. Every once in a while, there will be a hit, and people will say, ‘How did he do it? He must be a genius!”
👉 Write down the 12 questions that will move your life forward; they don’t have to be just about work, they can be about making you a better person, helping others, making life more enjoyable etc. And tweak your consumption habits and channels to contribute these 12 questions.
My 12 questions below:
- How can I teach compassion (towards self and others)? What role does compassion play in today’s capitalist world?
- How can I enable my child to grow up happy, self-reliant, gritty and kind?
- How can I become the world’s best at growing companies and building teams?
- How can I build alternate sources of income? How can I ‘productise myself’? How to remove wealth from my list of worries?
- How can I grow my network of ‘long term people’ with whom I can play ‘long term games’?
- How does the natural world really work? (Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology etc)
- How does the human world really work? (Psychology, relationships, economics, politics etc)
- What is the purpose of life? What can I learn from Vedanta?
- How can I get better at speaking and storytelling? How can I learn to add the power of humor?
- How can I build a stronger relationship with my wife?
- How can I build more physical strength? How can I make exercise more enjoyable?
- How to move quickly from ideas to execution and beat procrastination?