This week, I'm talking about Ben Bergeron's book " Chasing Excellence " === If you have Netflix and also don't like reading: check out The Redeemed and the Dominant . I watched this midway through and you get some of the behind the scenes. How do you write an entertaining nonfiction book? I definitely wanted to keep reading. The narrative is following two of his athletes as they compete in the 2016 CrossFit games. (They both also win.) Each chapter focuses on a characteristic ( Commitment, Grit,...
Jun 13, 2020•18 min
Here’s the second episode of The Notepod. This is another book notes episode. Each episode might be about a book. I’m still figuring it out but wanted to get started with consistency. Which sort of relates to the book this episode is about, “Rebel Without a Crew” by Robert Rodriguez. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com...
May 30, 2020•23 min
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
May 22, 2020•19 min
We're back (and probably need to stop starting every episode with "we're back for real this time!") talking about Work Clean , one of our favorite books from last year and maybe a top-10 all timer. Some concepts we talk about from the book Daily plan Clean as you go First actions This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com...
May 16, 2020•58 min
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Feb 16, 2020•48 min
Sections Start, stop, continue (with the podcast) 3 book quotes from some of my favorite books in 2019 Ranking the books I read in 2019 and a sort of top 10 Active Recall 2019 Reading List The 10 books I mentioned from 2019 Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? Work Clean: The life-changing power of mise-en-place to organize your life, w...
Jan 20, 2020•37 min
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Nov 28, 2019•26 min
From Save the Cat: Go back to Blockbuster (boy, are they tired of you by now) and check out the 6-12 movies in the genre of the movie you’re writing. Sit and watch as the beats of these films are magically filled into the blanks of the BS2. (BS2 being the beat sheet — check out an example beat sheet for The Martian .) I was listening to a podcast with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (I thiiink it was this episode of Creative Processing with Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) and they talk about how they were l...
Nov 22, 2019•6 min
Shocking rule : Start with an adult worksheet This is the worksheet that I created: Links * Creative Processing (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) Collaboration & Friendship / Seth Rogen + Evan Goldberg, Comedy Duo — Seth and Evan talk about growing up learning to write together. They talk about how some of the jokes that ended up in Superbad were pretty much written when they were 13. They started making spoofs of things like Spaceballs, Pulp Fiction and then continued to work together for decades. The...
Nov 12, 2019•8 min
Quote from What You Do is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz about shocking rules: Here are the rules for writing a rule so powerful it sets the culture for many years: It must be memorable . If people forget the rule, they forget the culture. It must raise the question “Why?” Your rule should be so bizarre and shocking that everybody who hears it is compelled to ask, “Are you serious?” There are two more rules (straightforward cultural impact, encountered daily). It sort of shares the same powers from...
Nov 06, 2019•7 min
I need to write a pre-amble for this initial set of issues: I wanted to write a year’s worth of daily newsletters in November, channeling the spirit of NanoWriMo. These first 17 issues were recorded on Nov 2nd and Nov 3rd. I guess if I keep it up with this system then I need to consider that the release of an issue will always be some time after I actually recorded things. If I actually did finish a year of daily newsletters by the end of this month, then the last one would be scheduled out near...
Nov 05, 2019•5 min
In the spirit of NanoWriMo, I tried doing a burst of writing this weekend. I “wrote” 17 posts. Which by the end of it mostly meant that this is what I did: * Outlined a topic * Recorded 5 minutes of audio talking about the topic Now I’m going through each episode and writing some notes and scheduling them for the rest of the month. Here’s an example outline from one of the episodes I recorded this weekend: By the end of it, I was getting into a pretty good rhythm. Still working out a few things,...
Nov 04, 2019•4 min
We're talking about "Atomic Habits" by James Clear Previous episode: 63: "Atomic Habits" https://activerecall.co/atomic-habits/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Oct 21, 2019•37 min
We talk about "Finish" by Jon Acuff https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Give-Yourself-Gift-Done/dp/1591847621 Great book with tips about finishing work I'm good at starting, bad at finishing . I don't usually have writer's block, but I certainly have finisher's block. By that, I mean that I'm able to outline and outline and outline a bunch of ideas. And even get to drafts of things. But then actually finishing the thing and releasing it becomes a challenge. We discuss hiding places and noble obstacles...
Jul 08, 2019•22 min
Our arms still hurt from patting ourselves on the back for returning to the podcast. The book of the week is Jon Acuff's "Quitter" https://www.amazon.com/Quitter-Closing-Between-Your-Dream/dp/0982986270 It's about passion . We talk about both sides of the 'follow your passion' argument. We are both in a place doing work that we're passionate about. It doesn't mean there aren't parts that don't feel like work. There are also things we're passionate about that we weren't able to turn into careers....
Jul 01, 2019•51 min
Tool: Charge your phone outside of your bedroom (so you can sleep more) Today’s recommended podcast episode: * Muscle for Life: Hafthor “The Mountain” Bjornsson on Life as the World’s Strongest Man ( Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts ) Other things mentioned * Matt Walker: Sleep is your superpower (TED Talk) * Joe Rogan Experience #1109 - Matthew Walker - YouTube * Why We Sleep by Matt Walker — “Humans are not sleeping the way nature intended. The number of sleep bouts, the duration of sleep, and...
Jun 19, 2019•11 min
This is my first post and I’m going by the “Just get started” advice. Every day or so, I’ll take a walk and I’ll… * … listen to something (podcast, audiobook) * Record some thoughts afterward * Write some additional thoughts and add links The gimmick : Each note describes a room in a memory palace to capture some of the concepts captured during the listening session. Each week, I’ll gather the individual audio posts here, combine them, add some music and sound effects, and make them full episode...
May 27, 2019•7 min
This week I'm sharing some podcast episode recommendations. 00:58 — Petting zoo x Jason Fried ( Knowledge Project ) 06:26 — Fitness center x Mark Manson ( Model Health Show ) 15:02 — Moleskine wallpapered room x Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ( The Moment ) 21:51 — White room with all your unfinished projects x Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor ( Start With This ) 28:19 — Driving range with pie x Scott Page ( Knowledge Project ) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...
Apr 30, 2019•34 min
Book(s) of the Week The Slight Edge https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463 The Compound Effect https://www.amazon.com/Compound-Effect-Darren-Hardy/dp/159315724X This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com...
Apr 24, 2019•32 min
Book of the week: "Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth" by Ian Nathan ( 03:51 ) Room 1: Kitchen with an orc ( 10:41 ) Room 2: Virtua Fighter 2 Pool Fight ( 21:00 ) Room 3: Matrix and Peter Jackson This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com...
Apr 16, 2019•35 min
Connecting Rounders quotes to the 5Ms Morning Pages Meditation Move slow Move fast Movies And a bonus 6th M! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Apr 09, 2019•20 min
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World Memory palace room Room 1: Kitchen with a Las Vegas buffet set up Room 2: Living room filled with smoke, cigarettes, and your friends Room 3: Swimming pool filled with bells, chimes, and broken glass This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com...
Apr 02, 2019•17 min
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Mar 26, 2019•14 min
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Mar 19, 2019•19 min
Ces takes a walk and talks about the book “Making Ideas Happen“ Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Mar 12, 2019•17 min
Talking about This is Marketing by Seth Godin Wally's favorite logos How do brands go beyond a logo? Lightning round with Ces talking about Active Recall's brand FEAR and self-help Branding for James Harden, Tom Brady, and great white sharks Links Great white shark: https://www.instagram.com/oceanramsey/p/Bsq-MfTFYpG/ Seth Godin's blog You on Netflix Imaginary Worlds: Gathering the Magic This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...
Mar 06, 2019•53 min
14:02 — Topical three 18:48 — Book of the week intro 21:45 — 4 step to building good habits and breaking bad habits 29:40 — Stop eating bad food, start working out and vlogging Links - Atomic Habits ( James Clear , Amazon ) - Better Than Before ( Gretchen Rubin , Amazon ) - The Power of Habit ( Charles Duhigg , Amazon ) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com...
Jan 17, 2019•56 min
Back for now and back for more in 2019. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Dec 13, 2018•21 min
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Sep 20, 2018•52 min
On this week's episode we talk about: - Book: "The One-Page Marketing Plan" by Allan Dib This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit activerecall.substack.com
Aug 30, 2018•35 min
