I used to have a Finisher Mindset when it came to consuming knowledge and resources I saved into Notion (e.g. articles, books, courses, videos etc.)

I felt a strong urge to consume and digest every piece of knowledge I saved into my knowledge management system so I could get it down to zero and done.

In fact, I felt a bit of guilt if I had a giant backlog of resources to consume.

These days I take a total different approach… the Just-in-time mindset to learning.

Because the truth is, knowledge is abundant.

The real value is applying the relevant knowledge to solve your problems when you need it.

Just-in-time learning is not only more time efficient, but also frees me from the guilt of not consuming it all.

So today, I want to talk about how Just-in-time learning goes hand in hand with having a personal knowledge management system like a Knowledge Hub in Notion.

Now Lets Get into It…

Consuming for general interest without tying it to a goal or purpose is entertainment.

(By the way, that’s totally fine too. I do that when it comes to my passions of travel and photography. I love reading blog posts and watching videos around that. And more often than not there is no direct action that comes out of it.).

But if you want to take immediate action on what you’re learning and consuming, then treating your knowledge management system like your personal library of high quality curated knowledge is key.

It’s my read-it-later app if you will.

To prove my point, here’s a screen grab of my own Notion knowledge hub. I have a heap of articles and resources to dive into, but only when I’m ready to take action.

My Knowledge Hub is also where I take notes when I’m consuming the information—I jot down key takeaways or frameworks and the next actions from what I’ve just learned.

This note taking and summarisation process helps to consolidate what I’ve just learned, and turning information into action.

Lets use a real example, starting this newsletter!

I sent the first issue of the Slow Digest newsletter back in August 2023.

But for the 6 months leading up to starting my newsletter I was already saving a bunch of useful articles, videos and courses about starting and growing a newsletter into my Knowledge Hub in Notion.

Once I was ready to create my newsletter in Beehiiv, all I had to do was intentionally block out time on my calendar to search through my Knowledge Hub for relevant resources around:

• Newsletter platforms

• Types of newsletters

• How to start a newsletter

• Newsletter growth as a beginner

• etc.

Then I would consume that article or resource, jot down some key takeaways and next actions, then get to work applying what I just learned.

Basically turning learning into action.

Notion has been tremendously helpful in keeping track of useful knowledge and resources.

Being able to sort and filter knowledge I’ve saved based on criteria like resource type, topic, creator of the resource etc. in Notion makes retrieving information when I need it very easy.

My 3-Step Process for Using a Knowledge Hub

1. Save interesting resources into Notion as you find them

When I come across interesting articles, videos, books etc. related to business, work, passions, hobbies or personal areas of life, I freely save it to my Knowledge Hub in Notion (even if I don’t end up using it).

You can use optimise this step further by using free tools like Save To Notion browser plugins to make it even easier to add your (Here’s a 3-minute video I recorded for a friend showing them how it works)

2. Dive into my personal curated library of knowledge when starting a new project or learning a new skill

I have a slower approach to starting something new.

I want to make sure it’s something truly important before I invest more time into it.

Often the project or interesting hobbies I want to try have been marinating in the background long before I kick anything off.

That means, I’m always saving helpful or interesting resources into Notion even when I don’t have a clearly formed project in mind.

Once I’m ready to start a new project or develop a new skill like copywriting for landing pages… then my first port of call is diving into my Knowledge Hub.

I call that my personal curated library of knowledge.

It’s information I’ve vetted, so it’s the first place I go.

3. Turn learnings into action

As I consume new information and grow my understanding of a topic, the next critical step while it’s still fresh in my mind is summarising key takeaways and making a next action list specific to the new project or skill I’m working on.

Digging into my Knowledge Hub is a really important step for me, but I don’t stop there.

I still learn from mentors and experts in the field, google new information, reach out to my network or use AI to assist with researching and brainstorming where necessary.

☕️ Chat with friends

A few weeks back coach Terry and I had a fun conversation about how we use Notion to keep our businesses and lives organised.

Him as full time Googler, a coach and side hustler. Me as solopreneur Notion Consultant who loves to travel and get out of town once a month.

I’ll admit, I was a ‘lil nervous recording this mini-podcast episode, but also excited to share it with you here soon!

We covered topics like:

• What comes to mind when we hear the phrase “creating systems to manage your side hustle or business”?

• What are some critical things we track in our business and life to stay on top of things?

• What are our rituals for planning, reflecting and organising?

So stay tuned 🙂 

Marrying Just-In-Time approach to learning with your Knowledge Management System will save you time when starting a project or learning a new skill.

A Knowledge Hub also reduces the friction to starting something new…

Because if you’ve been saving stuff along the way, you already have the 20% of knowledge to help you get 80% there. I hope you’re starting to see the benefits of having your own Knowledge Hub in your life or business!

That’s it! Thanks for reading.

Just one more thing, hit reply if you want to get started but don’t know how—I will reply with a specific suggestion for you!

Have a slow week!

Janice

(p.s. The Knowledge Hub OS is included in the 2024 Notion Means Business Bundle! If you buy through my link, https://notiongenius.com/bundle/?aff=oWJJ0, I’ll send you a 50% off discount code that you can use to get a 90-minute clarity and strategy call and any of my digital products until 1 December 2024.)

📌 Resources for Coaches and Consultants

1. Everything we launched at Make with Notion (Notion)

   Watch this 1 minute video to see the 5 game-changing announcement Notion made last week. I'm particularly excited about Mail and Automations!

   → Check out the video

2. 4 unconventional tactics to skyrocket LinkedIn growth (Justin Welsh)

   As someone starting out on LinkedIn, this is a practical guide on how to best use your time on the platform.

   → Check out the article

3. Rich in Quiet Confidence (Jade Bonacolta)

   A new newsletter I discovered where Jade breaks down concepts into practical actions. This one is all about the simple phrases you can use to show confidence in your communication (without sounding arrogant)

   → Check out the article

🗞️ New To This Newsletter?

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Subscribe here​​​​​​​​​​​​​ to get what I share next week.