DeveloPassion's Newsletter #151 - Goodbye 2023

Edition 151 of my newsletter, discussing Knowledge Management, Knowledge Work, Zen Productivity, Personal Organization, and more!

DeveloPassion's Newsletter #151 - Goodbye 2023

Welcome

Another week, another newsletter! I hope that you all had a great one 🤩

Probably just like most of you, this week has been quite loaded. I had very little time to think, but I couldn't skip my yearly review, and I didn't want to leave you without a last newsletter for 2023! 2023 is almost over, and I can't wait to start a new year, work on cool projects and share ideas with you all ❤️

I wish you all to enjoy these last days of 2023. And don't forget to make plans for next year! Periodic reviews remain one of my top recommendations for anyone willing to evolve and progress.

Alright, let's gooooo 🚀

The lab 🧪

Gumroad sales

So far, I've sold 1026 copies of my products on Gumroad. This is something I'm really proud of, because it means that I have helped more than a thousand people improve their lives in some way. This is much more than I could ever have with my day job ❤️

Surprisingly, I already sold 40+ copies of the Knowledge Worker Kit, which is much more than I had anticipated. Especially given that it's still in beta.

Knowledge Worker Kit and community (BETA)
Who is this for?You are a Knowledge Worker or Lifelong LearnerYou feel disorganized, unproductive, or overwhelmedYou don’t know how to go to the next levelYou want to learn from someone who’s always on top of thingsI have a proven track record of delivering at work and with my side projects. I have worked as a software developer, team leader, project manager, IT architect, information management specialist, CTO, founder, coach, and solopreneur. I have also written and published 3 books, 300+ articles, courses, YouTube videos, digital products, manage communities, and more! And I did it all with a busy life and kids. My personal system works and helps me achieve my goals consistently.You want a solid system that scalesBeing a Knowledge Worker today is much more challenging than it ever was. Getting started ain’t easy, and there are many traps to fall into. Spare yourself some time and benefit from my experience and battle-tested system. I’ll share everything I know with you: my approach, my systems, my routines, templates, guidance, and more! My mission is to help you avoid the pitfalls of Knowledge Work and empower you through technology.After you finish exploring the guide, you’ll have:Clarity in your life and an obvious path forwardSolid habits, routines, and systemsClear ideas about how to “manage” your careerAn effective approach to learning new thingsSolid knowledge management and personal organization systemsKnowledge about how to organize, plan, control, and manage projects (large and small!)A toolkit to prioritize workA system to manage your tasks at scaleEffective means to focus your attention and manage your timeWork methods that will propel your career forwardWhat is this?I’ve been passionate about information, knowledge management, learning, personal organization, PKM, and productivity for more than 20 years. As an author, blogger, knowledge worker, entrepreneur, coach, and father of 3 kids, I needed effective solutions to be and stay organized, focused, and productive. The Knowledge Worker Kit includes everything I know about these topics, and more!What’s included?WARNING: The Knowledge Worker Kit is in BETA. The content will be added and expanded over time. If you buy access now, you’ll benefit from a lower price. The product is already available so that I can find early adopters and get as much feedback as possible in order to make it great for everyone.If you buy access to the Knowledge Worker Kit, you’ll get:The user guideAll the templates and guidanceLifetime access to the private community for support and knowledge sharingLifetime access to all community events (meetups, workshops, knowledge-sharing sessions, invited talks, etc)Ask Me Anything (AMA) Q&As with meIn addition, you’ll also get free access to all future updates. Over time, I’ll continue expanding the kit with new ideas, techniques, systems, templates, and more!What’s in the user guide?The user guide is a growing and evergreen knowledge base. It includes detailed explanations covering a wide range of topics that all Knowledge workers should explore:01. Clarity: values, behaviors, goals, non-goals, priorities, and intentions02. Habits, routines, systems, processes and methods03. Career Management and Anticipation04. Learning05. Projects Knowledge Management and Journaling06. Projects Organization07. Planning and Prioritization08. Task Management09. Focus, Attention, Time Management and Action10. Personal Development11. Control: periodic reviews, progress tracking, course-adjustment12. Personal Organization13. WorkThe user guide is a Notion space including tons of articles, how-to guides, guidance, and links to useful templates and resources.You will get to explore the content at your own pace, and to focus on what is useful to you right now, as each section is actionable on its own.Evergreen ContentThe Knowledge Worker Toolkit is going to expand over time. Day after day, week after week. Buy it once, and you will have access to all future updates.Overview of the main topics01. ClarityThis part explores key elements that help bring clarity to one’s life:NeedsValuesPrinciplesGoalsPrioritiesEach of those is important to know what matters, what has value, and what to focus on.02. Habits, routines, systems, processes and methodsThis part explores the base elements of productivity systems:Habits and routinesSystems, processes, and methodsThose are key to building an “effortless” life, requiring as little willpower/motivation as possible to make things happen.03. Career Management and AnticipationThis part focuses on career management: its importance, your responsibility, the mindset you need to acquire, and all the related ideas.04. LearningThis part shares ideas about how to…Learn how you best learnLearn more effectivelyExplore new topicsResearchFilter informationLeverage AI and LLMs…05. Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and JournalingThis part explores how to collect, organize, and link all your knowledge and information. It explores the main concepts of PKM, note-taking, note-making, tools of the trade, and structures/tips to help you keep everything useful, manageable, and maintainable as your knowledge base grows.It also introduces journaling and how to approach it to support your whole life.06. Projects OrganizationThis part focuses on how to organize projects and their information in a way that enables you and your teams to make focused progress.It shares ideas about how to organize project information, how to document projects, how to organize backlogs, etc.07. Planning and PrioritizationThis part focuses on how to plan projects and tasks, how to deal with deadlines, and how to prioritize work using various methods.08. Task ManagementThis part focuses on task management for personal and professional projects. It explores ways to keep tasks under control, how to organize personal work, and how to make the link between your different backlogs and your day-to-day life.09. Focus, Attention, Time Management and ActionThis part focuses on how to make things happen every single day, regardless of whatever is going on in your life. It’s all about techniques, tips & tricks, and tools to help you better manage your time, focus, and attention in order to ACT.10. Personal DevelopmentThis part explores important aspects of Personal Development that can make a big difference in a Knowledge Worker’s life. A sane mind in a sane body.11. ControlThis part is dedicated to control. How to control your progress, your trajectory, your projects, etc. And also, how to adjust course when things don’t go as expected.12. Personal OrganizationThis part helps better organize yourself and your information. It shares “zen” techniques you can use to remain organized, independently of how much information you have to juggle with.13. WorkThis part is all about WORK. How to do the work, how to improve your attitude, your results, and your recognition. It also dives into how to better collaborate with others to achieve your goals and those of your company/group.

This adds positive pressure for me to deliver, which is why I'll focus on that project during the first months of 2024.

This newsletter continues to be my favorite side project, as it enables me to meet many cool people, and I'm always psyched when I get feedback and ideas. You are almost a thousand following me and engaging regularly. It is extremely gratifying and motivating. I think of you all as my one thousand fans ;-)

That being said, only six of you have decided to become paid subscribers, and I continue to wonder how to provide more value to you all. All ideas are welcome!

New articles

No new articles this week.

Quotes of the week

  • An unfulfilled vocation drains the color from a man's entire existence — Honoré de Balzac
  • Desire is my enemy. No matter what I want, it causes me to be unhappy right now because I'm in need

Plans for 2024

I'm still 100% focused on getting rid of my day job, and replacing it with more fulfilling alternatives. At this point, bootstrapping still feels like the best way for me to reach that goal.

Here are my plans for the first semester of 2024:

On the media business side, I intend to focus on the Knowledge Worker Kit, become more active on social networks (mainly X, LinkedIn and Substack). I also want to continue publishing articles about PKM. In addition, I'll also write more and more about Personal Organization and Zen Productivity. I will most probably start working on a video course to complement the Knowledge Worker Kit. I also want to start working on a book about Personal Knowledge Management. There is clear demand for that, and I have enough expertise and ideas to share on that topic. Last but not least, I want to continue growing this newsletter, my YouTube channel, and launch a podcast 🚀

I will also set some time aside to work on Knowii. I realize that it's more of a passion project, but I continue to believe that the world needs more Community Knowledge Management tools.

On top of all that, I'll also continue maintaining and improving the Obsidian Starter Kit, which is still my best-selling product, and the one I've received most praise about.

Obsidian Starter Kit
Jump straight to stress-free note-making with Obsidian

Thinking and learning

This week, I've finally dived deeper into the Smart Connections plugin for Obsidian. I find it extremely valuable and useful. It will certainly be part of the next release of the Obsidian Starter Kit.

Being able to discover more opportunities to link notes together is super useful to strengthen your knowledge base and spark new ideas.

Check out this video if you want to learn more about it: