What would you learn if you took notes on the best podcasts?
Crazy Wisdom
The guys at Podcast Notes take notes on the best podcasts on the planet as a business and I thought it would be interesting to interview them about all the things they have learned. Check it out for a good synthesis of the best knowledge being produced at the moment.
In this episode
- 01:31 - How did Matt Miller of podcast notes manage to travel and work at the same time?
- 04:25 - How does Mat manage working full-time while being in another country?
- 05:39 - Why did Matt Miller start taking notes on podcasts?
- 07:24 - How are guidelines set for what podcasts are worthy of transcription ?
- 09:49 - What kind of impacts does running a podcast have on one's life ?
- 10:06 - What did Matt discover when he stopped using an alarm to wake up?
- 11:20 - How has listening to podcasts affected Matt’s life?
- 16:04 - How has transcribing Kapil Gupta’s podcasts influenced Matt?
- 18:47 - What has been Matt’s favorite interview so far?
- 22:24 - What are the similarities and differences between listening, writing, and reading as forms of learning ?
- 24:09 - How is tutoring effective for students?
- 28:59 - Will Podcast Notes begin to use new technologies that other companies are utilizing ?
- 30:10 - What is a trend in the podcast world?
- 31:39 - How many people are familiar with podcasts?
- 36:40 - What is the biggest thing that Matt learned from an interview with Casey Neistat?
- 37:49 - What personality trait is incredibly important for creators?
- 40:31 - How is flow state defined?
- 45:40 - What is Podcast Notes really good at doing?
- 48:28 - Which type of people are more likely to be introverts?
- 50:31 - What are the last two takeaway thoughts that Matt has?
Smash Notes summary for this episode
How did Matt Miller of podcast notes manage to travel and work at the same time?
Matt Miller is the head of content for Podcast Notes and the nature of his work enables him to work remote from anywhere, at any time. He can work from a coffee shop in the morning, explore a new destination in the afternoon, and then settle back into a coffee shop to do more work. Remote work allows Matt to have a job and an interesting lifestyle too!
How does Mat manage working full-time while being in another country?
Matt thoroughly enjoyed being a digital nomad because he says that if he’s home in New York, it’s difficult for him to focus on other things besides work. Being in another country offers other things to explore and do when he takes a break, which provides a nice work-life balance for him.
Why did Matt Miller start taking notes on podcasts?
Matt really wanted to takes notes on podcasts and realized that Yoni had already started a site for that. Since they had a mutual interest, it made sense to work together.
How are guidelines set for what podcasts are worthy of transcription ?
At this time, it is solely based on Matt's interests. As it turns out, there are many others who are into self-help and development podcasts, too.
What kind of impacts does running a podcast have on one's life ?
It impacts everything in one's day-to-day life. Constant learning from podcasts can and will spill over into every day life.
What did Matt discover when he stopped using an alarm to wake up?
He tracks his sleep with an Oura Ring. He says that if he doesn’t wake up with an alarm, he’ll sleep for nine or nine and a half hours. When he would set an alarm and sleep for eight hours, he wonders if he's missing out on that extra hour or hour and a half of sleep, and about the damage it causes in the long-term.
How has listening to podcasts affected Matt’s life?
There are a some things that Matt has changed in his life after listening to podcasts. One is that he stopped drinking tap water and will only drink spring water. He also works at a standing desk, and he feels a lot better when working at one.
How has transcribing Kapil Gupta’s podcasts influenced Matt?
Matt says that the theme of Gupta's podcasts are to look for the truth of whatever situation you're in. Everything that Kapil says makes you want to second guess and rethink things in the world.
What has been Matt’s favorite interview so far?
Brandon Stanton, the founder of Humans of New York. Matt states that Stanton’s story is remarkable and one that everyone should listen to.
What are the similarities and differences between listening, writing, and reading as forms of learning ?
Listening can be time consuming and can sometimes be hard to glean all of the key points. Reading can allow someone to move through content more quickly. Writing about content can help cement information.
How is tutoring effective for students?
The host states those who have been tutored far, far outperform those who have normal learning.
Will Podcast Notes begin to use new technologies that other companies are utilizing ?
They are primarily taking things month-by-month as the site is still somewhat in its infancy.
What is a trend in the podcast world?
There is a trend in shorter podcasts, almost like a movement toward audio clips, that Matt has noticed.
How many people are familiar with podcasts?
Stewart heard about a study stating that about 22% of Americans know what a podcast is, which is incredibly surprising to Matt. He would have suspected at least 50% of people would know of them. He views this as room for the podcast world to grow.
What is the biggest thing that Matt learned from an interview with Casey Neistat?
Casey said that if you don’t know what you want to do in life, spend as much time as you can doing something you absolutely f*cking hate.
What personality trait is incredibly important for creators?
The ability to set aside long periods of time to focus and be creative is essential.
How is flow state defined?
Matt describes it as totally losing yourself, any idea of the self. When you are doing your work, you don’t exist. Only the work exists. He says that if you listen to any of Kapil Gupta’s podcasts, you’ll understand.
What is Podcast Notes really good at doing?
Stewart says that the note takers are really good at synthesizing podcast information into written word.
Which type of people are more likely to be introverts?
Matt has noticed that Type A people tend to be introverts. Stewart agrees with him and says that a lot of CEOs in Silicon Valley are introverts.
What are the last two takeaway thoughts that Matt has?
One point is from Brandon Stanton’s interview, “If nothing mattered but how I was spending my time, what would I be doing? What would be most nourishing for me in any given moment?” The other is, “When you create one opportunity for yourself, oftentimes, that opportunity will create more opportunities.”