The Inforium

We talk about writing for longer, binging TV shows, self-help books, our consumption-to-production ratios, and starting your career on the right foot.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. You can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

3 Ways to Trick Your Brain Into Doing Hard Work

Polyphonic's What Makes a Great Cover Song video

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare

Daniel Scotts's Adobe Illustrator CC Essentials Training course on Skillshare

Hyperfocus, by Chris Bailey

Derek Sivers

How to Be More Like Leonardo da Vinci (Ep. 240)

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Banter

0:15:32 - Consumption-to-production ratio

0:31:43 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:34:26 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:37:04 - Getting the energy to write

0:48:14 - Balancing your media consumption

0:53:42 - Accepting a job not related to your major

1:00:07 - Opinions on self-help books

1:14:51 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've been getting questions about some of the things we're known to do, so we're talking about five of them: skating, videos, piano, guitar, and pixel art.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. You can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Bill Stoppard on YouTube

Tiago Inline Skater on YouTube

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare

JustinGuitar on YouTube

Paul Davids on YouTube

Songsterr (iOS | Android)

Ultimate Guitar (iOS | Android)

Yousician (iOS | Android)

MuseScore

Andrew Huang's Music Theory video

Music 101, by Brian Boone

Nahre Sol on YouTube

Jenny Nicholson on YouTube

Potato Jet on YouTube

How to Make Your Phone Less of a Distraction

Pixel Grimoire series

Pixel Pete on YouTube

Aseprite

UpIsNotJump on YouTube

Working From Home: How to Stay Focused

MoneyLab

This Note-Taking App is a Game Changer - Roam Research

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:01:33 - Overview

0:04:51 - Inline skating

0:24:50 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:27:34 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:29:38 - Playing the guitar

0:47:12 - Playing piano

1:04:47 - Making videos

1:20:18 - Pixel art

1:32:18 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Difficult times often double as chances to do good. We talk about what we can do for our communities while stuck sheltering at home.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 1,000 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

When to Be Unproductive (Ep. 292)

Trello

Bear (iOS)

FocusMate

Matt D'Avella's Quitting caffeine for 30 days video

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare

Moment's iPhone Filmmaking course on Skillshare

Charity Navigator

Effective Altruism

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:03:24 - Keeping in touch with family and friends

0:18:14 - Getting things done at home while staying connected with others

0:24:17 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:27:07 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:29:51 - Helping out your local community

0:46:53 - Contributing to the global community

0:57:45 - Controlling the spread of misinformation

1:02:25 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's a time to get this bread, and there's a time to sit back and enjoy it. Today, we're talking about why you shouldn't skip out on the latter.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 500 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

5 Questions: Interruptions, Social Media Bios, and Reading Positions (Ep. 290)

Ali Abdaal's How to Study for Exams course on Skillshare

Working from Home: How to Plan Your Day

Linus Tech Tips' Thinking of retiring video on YouTube

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:05:18 - Having long-term goals and not needing to impress people

0:14:52 - What have we been doing recently

0:23:34 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:25:45 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:27:47 - What exactly is productivity

0:33:48 - Balancing work with your personal life

0:42:12 - Holding yourself accountable and picking up new hobbies

0:50:24 - Thinking you're not allowed to take a break

0:56:40 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talk about what it's like and what it takes to get things done remotely, even with all the distractions that might come with being at home.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 500 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Roam Research

How to Create a Study Space in Your Room

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Brain.fm

Thomas' ultimate study music playlist on YouTube

Beeminder

Focusmate

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:12:42 - Creating a dedicated workspace when you don’t have another room

0:22:50 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:26:02 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:28:27 - Getting a good pair of headphones

0:40:41 - Holding yourself accountable to someone

0:53:55 - Exercising at home

1:02:32 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this 5 questions episode, we talk about interruptions, blogging, social media bios, reading positions, and what to do when hobbies feel hard.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 500 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

The Skill You're Slowly Losing

A Master Class on Buying a Car – Part 1 (Ep. 69)

A Master Class on Buying a Car – Part 2 (Ep. 70)

The Path to College, Pt. 1: Getting Accepted

The Path to College, Pt. 2: Paying for It

The Path to College, Pt. 3: Becoming College-Ready

Cortex

Linus Tech Tips on YouTube

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare

Tofugu

Figma

Underscores

Peter Mckinnon

Every Think on YouTube

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:08:30 - Focusing while getting constantly distracted

0:19:01 - The best position to read in

0:27:18 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:30:29 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:33:30 - Content management systems vs developing from the ground up

0:42:03 - Writing an interesting social media bio

0:51:19 - Persevering with hobbies that require skill

1:04:50 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It seems like we spend less and less time with friends and loved ones as we grow older. We look for ways to fight this trend and become a social outlier.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 500 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Dashlane can help make your online experience safer and more convenient with password management, VPN, form filling and more. Head over to Dashlane.com/collegeinfogeek for a free 30-day trial, and once you've fallen in love you can use the code 'collegeinfogeek' for 10% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Good to Great, by James Collins

How to Go from Merely Good to Truly Great (Ep. 178)

If This Isn't Nice, What Is?, by Kurt Vonnegut

Ali Abdaal's Video Editing with Final Cut Pro X course on Skillshare

Jordy Vandeput's Video Editing with Premiere Pro course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Meetup (iOS | Android)

Listen Money Matters

Making Friends And Connections As An Introvert (Ep. 47)

How to Build Closer Friendships

How to Meet New People - 6 Tips for Making More Friends

The Story of Starbucks, by John Simmons

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:00:40 - How much time you spend with people as you age

0:10:10 - Taking steps to being more social

0:15:25 - Volunteering

0:23:09 - Sponsor: Dashlane (Managing your passwords)

0:25:15 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:28:42 - Going to meetups and making yourself available

0:45:53 - Thoughts on family

0:53:07 - Trello system for maintaining relationships

0:58:30 - Doing scary stuff

1:04:22 - Going from small talk to interesting conversations

1:07:20 - Regaining that feeling of social ambience

1:21:43 - Being alone without being lonely

1:25:49 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talk about Scott Young's book, Ultralearning, and how you can learn and build skills far more quickly than the average syllabus might imply.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 500 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Dashlane can help make your online experience safer and more convenient with password management, VPN, form filling and more. Head over to Dashlane.com/collegeinfogeek for a free 30-day trial, and once you've fallen in love you can use the code 'collegeinfogeek' for 10% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Ultralearning, by Scott Young

Thomas’ Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Smart Passive Income

Listen Money Matters

Polyphonic on YouTube

Better Ideas on YouTube

Linus Tech Tips on YouTube

Scott Young's 30 Day Portrait Drawing Challenge

Fluent in 3 Months

This Guy Edits on YouTube

10 YouTube Channels You Should Follow in 2020

Chrystopher Rhodes' Video on a Budget course on Skillshare

The Most Powerful Way to Remember What You Study

Anki (iOS | Android)

iTalki (iOS | Android)

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:01:59 - Overview

0:09:30 - Metalearning

0:14:05 - Focusing

0:21:01 - Directness

0:25:12 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:28:34 - Sponsor: Dashlane (Managing your passwords)

0:30:27 - Drilling

0:36:08 - Retrieval

0:44:43 - Feedback

0:52:57 - Retention

1:02:39 - Intuition

1:10:15 - Experimentation

1:14:57 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talk about how to shift over to a new career, along with the shifts we've made in our own work.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. If you're one of the first 500 to use this link, you can also get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

2019 Year in Review (Plus Our Plans for 2020) (Ep. 285)

Cortex

Linus Tech Tips on YouTube

Paul Graham's Having Kids article

So Good They Can't Ignore You, by Cal Newport

Thomas' Habit-Building course on Skillshare

How to Budget Your Money Without Cutting Coffee (Ep. 174)

A Crash Course on How to Start Investing (Even If You’re in Debt) (Ep. 168)

Nerd Fitness

Smart Passive Income

Jenny Blake on YouTube

Listen Money Matters

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:01:33 - Thoughts on our future podcasting

0:17:02 - Deviating from our majors and considering a new career

0:34:08 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:37:25 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:39:57 - Transitioning to a new area

0:55:28 - Martin's game dev

0:59:05 - Moving away from College Info Geek

1:20:58 - Building relationships with people you admire

1:29:16 - Recap and conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talk about the benefits of self-awareness, along with some ideas to try to notice and understand yourself better.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Skillshare: With thousands of courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. Get started with 2 free months of unlimited learning (including Thomas' new Habit-Building class!) at Skillshare.com/geek.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

A Better Way to Track Your Habits

Thomas' Habit-Building course on Skillshare

Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare

Nakey Jaykey on YouTube

Mark Manson's Self-Awareness article

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:01:38 - Martin's habit tracking system

0:11:20 - Different kinds of self-awareness

0:17:57 - Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)

0:20:43 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:27:14 - Emotional self-awareness

0:49:03 - Gaining self-awareness from experience

1:01:06 - Interactions with other people

1:18:17 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.