Take Smarter Notes

A short film that introduces 3 books:

• How to Take Smart Notes, by Sönke Ahrens;

• Getting Things Done, by David Allen; and

• Building A Second Brain, by Tiago Forte.

Getting better with lighting, B-Roll footage, and the boom mic is better positioned (suspended from a newly purchased C stand)—happy days!

#BobsBookClub
#ProductiveNoteTaking

10,000 metre swim

What fitness goals have you planned for January?

I've a pal in the gym who's planning a 10,000m swim—in one session. He's a good swimmer, so for him, that's 2½ hours in the indoor pool. (Bonkers!)

But it got me thinking. 

Why not swim 10,000m—in total, next month. It'll put that crazy distance into context!

Breaking it down—the distance is 2,500m per week, or 1,250m twice a week. And that’s almost achievable.

Big goals are easy when broken down.

#GoalSetting
#InspireBeInspired

The EGSP Wooden Block®

It’s official…

We’ve had confirmation that EGSP Wooden Block and EGSP Framework are now officially registered trade marks. This means quite a few things.

1. Both trade marks are considered sufficiently different to any existing trade marks.

2. We can take legal action against anyone who uses our brand without permission, including counterfeiters.

3. We can put the ® symbol next to our trade marks. :-)

The process was relatively straight forward. All details and process steps are explained at gov.uk website.

We chose the following classes: printed publications (Class 16), business management (Class 35), education and training (Class 41) … and wooden toys (Class 28).

Onwards!

#IntellectualProperty
#EntrepreneurialJourney

A Precarious Walk Home

I should have known better… I wrote today’s The Sunday Scholar with a rather a thick head. Arranged over WhatsApp, it’s been a long-time date in everyone’s diary. Except mine. What was supposed to be a festive drink with neighbours, turned into a few more than expected—then a precarious walk home.

Our latest podcast is now available.

A Fun Way to Improve Productivity

A surprisingly fun way to improve productivity, gain clarity and achieve focus. Who knew! A short tutorial on the benefits of standardisation. Plenty of real life examples, a case study, top tips and an action step to help you on your way.

Apologies for the poor sound quality in a couple of places. It sounds like the mic has been clipped. Going to reduce master sound on Zoom H6 and reposition Rode Boom Mic.

Always learning, Bob xx

#TuesdayTutorial
#StandardWorkingWeek

12 Books in 12 Seconds

Challenge accepted.

Always up for a challenge. I was asked to simplify our latest book review and re-record it in under 12 seconds. The original review was 12 min 48 sec. Not bad considering we mention 12 books and a little bit about each one. (You can watch it on YouTube here).

So thinking creatively, I used a simple prioritisation tool, known as Moscow. Enjoy!

#ChallengeBob
#Moscow

Progress checks in place

What quality checks do you have in place?

Here’s a simple example from our laser cutting process. Any letter that’s not within tolerance (+/- 0.5mm) is considered out of specification. (We’re improving—this used to be +/- 1.0 mm).

Notice the faint burn marks across the Twelve Scholar logo. Protective masking tape helps reduce these marks. And the hand-sanding process will remove them altogether (knuckles withstanding!).

#QualityChecks
#BehindTheScenes
#RepeatableProcess

Behind the scenes: Laser Etching process

Well, this looks interesting.

We’ve been perfecting the laser cutting process for nearly two years. In that time, we’ve made templates, remade templates, created checking fixtures and ultimately developed a process that leads to a consistent product—every time (well, almost!).

This short clip introduces our Scholar Bee.

Notice the hand drawn bee on the right hand side—this acts as a pertinent prompt.

Each side of the wooden block is protected with 45mm masking tape—this prevents burning and damaging the maple. The masking tape is then carefully removed, before fresh tape is placed on the next side.

Hand finished by Twelve Scholars. Every scholar on our Leadership Development Programme receives a unique and limited edition EGSP Wooden Block™ (aka 'Leadership Compass').

Always learning.

#BehindTheScenes
#LaserCuttingProcess
#ScholarBee

Off to a New Home

This little Scholar Bee is off to a new home—somewhere near York.

As part of The Essential Scholar leadership development programme, you’ll receive a precision-engineered hand-crafted EGSP Wooden Block™.

Designed as a Leadership Compass.

Perfect as a paperweight.

Check out the cross-section grain structure.

And just like every leader—each EGSP Wooden Block™ is unique.

#EssentialScholar
#NewHome

Defining Success

Our latest podcast episode is now available.

Listen via our website or simply search for ‘Twelve Scholars’ or ‘The Sunday Scholar’ on your podcast platform of choice.

#TheSundayScholar
#DefineSuccess
#WorldCupFootball

Vertical Glimpse at New course

Attempting two birds with one stone. Trying to get a different angle from the camera tonight—plus capture our online Learning Platform. A twofer!

Here’s a short (40 secs) clip of how the online platform works. We’ve made it really simple. The visual language from the Playbook is continued on screen. And every lesson has a short tutorial film.

#BehindTheScenes
#EssentialScholar

Latest YouTube Video Uploaded

How to prioritise which books to read and what not to read.

Last month, we added 12 new books to our Leadership Library. Which ones did we buy? and why? Learn what makes Bob tick, especially with front covers and the colour yellow!

Note—I've made this film on the back of Matt D'Avella's fabulous 'Master YouTube' course. Always learning. Always wanting to improve. I think we've made a step change—certainly with the addition of B-roll footage.

#LeadershipLibrary
#LovingBRollFootage

Perhaps it’s time to Think Again

Another day. Another book delivery. This time it’s Think Again, by Adam Grant.

Best-selling author, and top-rated professor, Adam Grant was on High Performance Podcast this week (fascinating interview, btw). And so I couldn’t resist the urge with his new book.

From the inside cover, “If knowledge is power, knowing what you don’t know is wisdom.”

We’d better make that 1183 books in the Leadership Library!

#OriginalThinking
#QuestionAssumptions

12 Book Thumbnail

What do you think? Always up for a challenge. Matt D’Avella wanted me to create a thumbnail separately to our latest video. And here’s the result.

Previously, I would create thumbnails from film footage—this has always worked in the past. But the challenge here was to think about thumbnails before we started filming. Matt wanted me to stage the shot. And spend time getting it right. He believes that thumbnails will be critical to our success on YouTube.

(I recently enrolled on one of Matt’s film courses—always striving for Excellence.)

#MasterYouTube
#ThumbnailPerfection

Changes to schedule

We’re launching our first online Leadership Development Programme in January 2023. It’s called The Essential Scholar… and personally speaking—I cannot wait. In fact, I’ve probably been a bit too eager in setting (realistic) dates to start the course.

So after a bit of feedback and encouragement from a few of our Sunday Scholars, we’ll be pushing the course back a week.

The following changes will be made:

• The Essential Scholar will commence Monday, 09 January 2023. This allows everyone to get back to work and feet under the desk before starting the course. It also allows an extra week for your special postal deliveries to arrive.
  

• A new workshop will go ahead every Wednesday at 2pm (30-40 mins). This will replace the monthly mastermind. In hindsight, this will help you maintain momentum, and get to know other scholars. The later time allows a clearer diary—and opens the course up to international scholars.
  

• The Graduation and Awards will remain Wednesday, 29 March at 2pm. This is a chance to celebrate your achievement with others. Start with the end in mind. And plan for success.

The introductory offer will remain until Saturday, 31 December 2022.

#TheEssentialScholar
#FasterFeedbackLoops

Attention Seeking Scholar Bees

What’s caught your attention recently?

Here’s a sneak peak at our Leadership Playbook—or more specifically, the rear cover. Look how the light catches the spot varnish. How many bees do you notice?

Launching in January 2023, The Essential Scholar is our new Leadership Development Programme. And every participant will receive an exclusive copy of our Leadership Playbook.

#LeadershipDevelopment
#AttentionSeekingScholarBees

Seeking Perfection with Podcast

Never comfortable with hitting release. Especially when you’re unable to edit post send. The Sunday Scholar newsletter was published earlier today.

I knew it was above the Thick Red Line (better than poor, and satisfactory at the very least). But I still wasn’t happy.

So back to the drawing board. A copy of chops and changes. And it was time to record the newsletter as a podcast.

And relax. Much happier now.

Yes. I could still tweak the edit, or re-record a couple of lines. But I’m finally comfortable with it being imperfect.

We go again next week. :-)

#PodcastPerfection
#TheThickRedLine

Building a Brand

Good news today from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

Our latest trademark has been published in the Trade Mark Journal (view application here). There is now a 2-month period in which anybody may make observations or oppose its registration. If nobody opposes the mark, it’ll become registered approximately 2 weeks after the opposition period ends.

Note—a warning to business owners. Beware of fraudsters. As soon as your information appears in the register, you will be contacted by unsolicited companies. Some may send you offers to register this trade mark in unofficial private registers. Do not pay them.

#IntellectualProperty
#BuildingABrand

A Personal Memory Box

Question: When is a box more than just a box?

Answer: When you’ve spent your early career in the paper and packaging industry. So many tales to tell. So many highs and lows. So many career-defining moments. In both management and leadership. Fast forward 25 years. You commission your own custom packaging—and realise your life can be summed up in a box. (In a good way, of course.)

#PaperAndPackaging
#AttentionToDetail

Podcast upload

Our latest podcast episode is now available. I’ve finally let go and published to the ether. You can download or listen here.

You know, I find the whole written form/audio format fascinating. It’s funny how not everything written down translates to audio. Sometimes, you need to give the listener a bit more repetition, a few more clues to what you’re talking about, or a bit more breathing space. Always learning.

#WeeklyPodcast
#TheSundayScholar