Here is a collection of methods and tools that I’m using to both research in public and write this book.
Book research
- Obsidian
- Quartz
- Netlify
- Zoom
- Slack
- How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens
- Interviews
I’m using Obsidian, a markdown text editor that I love, to take research notes and build this website. I’ve created note templates for different page types and chapters to speed up the process. I’m using Quartz to turn these markdown notes into a static site and hosting everything on Netlify, all for free.
For research and networking, I’m active in the FinOps Foundation Slack community (free for FinOps practitioners). Most Interviews are conducted remote using a free Zoom account.
Much of my research and note-taking methodology is a modified version of Zettelkasten, as described in the book How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens.
Writing
- Obsidian
- Longform Plugin
- Forest iOS app
- Book research in public
- Writers Accountability Group
- Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts”
I’m currently focused primarily on research, but I’ll be writing initial drafts of sections of the book. These first drafts are fast and dirty, as described in Anne Lamott’s essay “Shitty First Drafts.” I constantly need to remind myself that the real writing happens in the edit, so get that shitty first draft out as quick as possible.
When I really want to focus and get something done, I’ll work in Pomodoros using the iOS app Forest.
For external structure and accountability, I lean on Writers Accountability Groups. I’m very opinionated about a specific structure for these meetings.
Writing is also happening in Obsidian. I experimenting with the Longform Obsidian plugin, but I’m not sure how much I love it yet. In the past, I’ve written in Scrivener, but I just like Obsidian so much more so Obsidian it is.
Obsidian Setup
- Theme: AnuPpuccin - Dark Mode
- Plugins: