Finding material to deploy attention

In Daniel Kahneman’s classic book “Thinking, Fast and Slow“, he said something simple that I’ve been chewing on for a long time. He said:

“Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed.”

The reason this stuck with me is because it’s something that I strive very hard to do, but continue to struggle to reach. I don’t think it’s something that can be accomplished, but rather it’s a tension that will always exist. I’ll keep pushing toward it, and while I’ll never get there, I’ll always be improving.

Specifically, it’s the idea of being able to “find relevant material in memory”. What can you do to improve that? For me, it’s a few things.

At its core, it’s the struggle between fresh and repeat content. I’m always reading more and trying to learn new things, but better understanding of the things I’ve previously learned is likely even more important.

Anki + Readwise -> Blog

More specifically, two of the tools I use to help with that are Anki and Readwise, both of which I use at least a little bit every day. Anki is where I review specific topics and ideas that I want to remember, and Readwise is a way to resurface items that I’ve highlighted in books over the years. Both are fantastic and are helping me move forward, but I have a long way to go.

Of course, this blog factors in heavily as well. I hope you find value in these posts, but they’re also super valuable for me as a way to resurface old topics (like today’s quote from a book I read four years ago) and unpack them a bit further.

I hope to continue to improve in my ability to “find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed“, and as long as I feel I’m not all the way there that’ll give me the inspiration to keep pushing forward.