These blog posts are short, daily ideas on reading deeply, taking notes, and applying the ideas. Each post is written by Eddy Hood with the goal of encouraging readers to pick up a book in favor of technology.
How Emerson Used His Journals to Think Better I’ve been teaching you over the last few weeks how Ralph Waldo Emerson approached journaling—not just as a place to jot down thoughts, but as a tool to sharpen his mind and clarify his life. Today, I want to show you how Emerson used his journals to thinkContinue reading Learn to Journal Like Ralph Waldo Emerson (Week 5 of 6)
Last week, I talked about John Locke’s method of indexing a journal and how Emerson abandoned it in favor of something simpler. 📚Emerson kept three main types of journals: Pick one to three key topics you’re most passionate about. I’ve chosen Philosophy and Writing. Then create a topic-specific journal for each. Finally, get one journalContinue reading Learn to Journal like Ralph Waldo Emerson (Week 4 of 6)
A good index is a beautiful thing. Flip to the back of a nonfiction book and you’ll find every topic discussed, along with the page numbers where it appears.Here’s a shot of the index from The Mind on Fire, a biography of Emerson’s life. Okay, what do we have here? On the very first page ofContinue reading Learn to Journal Like Ralph Waldo Emerson (Week 3 of 6)
Last week, we talked about how Emerson thought of his 263 journals as a savings bank for his best ideas. This week, let’s look at how he actually drew from that bank. Emerson was in constant contact with his journals. Of course, he couldn’t carry all 263 volumes around, but he always had his currentContinue reading Learn to Journal like Ralph Waldo Emerson (Week 2 of 6)
First, let’s get some semantics out of the way. I prefer the term “notebook,” which to me sounds like a working tool for thinking. However, Emerson referred to them as “journals,” so we’ll stick with his terminology throughout this series–even though “journal” reminds me of my grandmother, who wrote about the weather in her “journal”Continue reading Learn to Journal Like Ralph Waldo Emerson (Part 1 of 6)
I visited my childhood library yesterday. We moved away from Brigham City a long time ago and left this beautiful place in my past. This library is where my mother would find me, lying on my back with my feet propped on a shelf, reading after school. We lived a block away, and I couldn’tContinue reading I visited My Childhood Library
This is the first of a six-week series I’ll be writing, called “Learn to Journal Like Ralph Waldo Emerson.” I know, it’s a catchy title.😂 Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect. A Journal is a Savings Bank of Your Ideas First, let’s get some semantics out of the way. I prefer theContinue reading Week 1: Learn to Journal like Ralph Waldo Emerson
Notice to the reader: When you see my yellow highlighter, it means that I’ve read something I don’t agree with. All passages in yellow grate on my nerves, and that’s a good thing. Let me start by admitting that I’m a HUGE fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He’s the guy who advocated for self-reliance asContinue reading I Disagree with Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reading isn’t a competition.It’s not a work project or a side hustle.It’s not a race to hit 100 pages a day or 200 books a year.It’s not a bragging right.It’s not something you do for your boss.It’s not a way to look smarter or impress your friends.It’s not a measure of your worth. Reading isContinue reading Dear Reader, Slow Down
After two years of searching, I’ve found the perfect building. This is the spot for Edgewater Bookstore to become a REAL SPACE for deep readers to gather, connect, and explore ideas!!! I’ve scraped together everything I have, putting $100,000 of my own money toward the down payment. But to meet the down payment requirement ofContinue reading Help Launch a Deep Reading Bookstore on August 20