You’ve probably read a lot over the past 5 years.
Your Kindle highlights look like a rainbow explosion. Your bookshelf screams “intellectual badass.”
But when it comes to creating content? Crickets.
You sit at your laptop, staring at the blank page, wondering where all those brilliant insights went. It’s like they evaporated the moment you closed the book.
I used to have the same problem.
My brain constantly looks for new information. I’d highlight everything that seemed remotely interesting. But when Monday morning came and I needed to write an article? Nothing.
My brain felt like a leaky bucket.
Fast forward, I’ve been publishing daily content on the Internet for the past five years.
Here’s the system I use to extract 50+ pieces of content from every book I read.
Highlight and rewrite
Most people highlight and move on.
They think the magic yellow marker will somehow transfer knowledge directly into their brain. But it doesn’t work that way.
Here’s what I do instead:
Every time I find an interesting idea, I rewrite it in my own words immediately.
This forces my brain to actually process the information instead of just passively consuming it.
When you rewrite something, you’re forced to understand it. You can’t just parrot back what the author said. You have to digest it, break it down, and rebuild it with your own understanding.
This act alone forces you to slow down and then spark new insights.
Plus, when you rewrite ideas in your own voice, they’re already halfway to becoming your content. You’re not stealing the author’s words — you’re building on their concepts with your unique perspective.
Make it a standalone note
This is where most people mess up.
Now that you have this idea rewritten in your own words, don’t let it sit there naked and alone.
They have these isolated thoughts floating around with zero context. It’s like having puzzle pieces scattered on the floor — useless until you connect them.
What I do is link each idea back to something personal.
Maybe it’s a story from my own experience. Maybe it’s something I witnessed with a client. Or maybe it’s a mistake I made that perfectly illustrates the concept.
Then what I do is I create a standalone node in Obsidian with idea + context.
This personal connection is what transforms a book insight into YOUR content. Anyone can regurgitate what they read. But only you can share how that insight applies to your specific situation.
These standalone notes become the building blocks of everything I create — newsletters, articles, even entire online courses.
Use templates
You’ve got your rewritten insights. You’ve connected them to personal stories. Now it’s time to turn them into actual content.
You can use a simple template that works for any platform:
- Hook: Start with the problem and/or the dream
- Story: Add your personal connection or example
- Lesson: Explain what this means for your audience
- Action: Give them something specific to do
Let’s say I read about “decision fatigue” and connected it to my own experience of burning out from making too many small decisions about my course creation process.
The hook can talk about the dream of creating an online course. Then, talk about the problem: But the issue is when you spend too much time creating it.
The story that illustrates could be my experience trying to pick the perfect course title for three weeks.
The Lesson: Why successful creators automate small decisions
Action: List three recurring decisions you can automate this week.
Boom.
That one insight can be a newsletter, it could be an article, or even a video.
It really doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
Because the right templates allow you to turn any idea into a publishable piece of content.
The beauty of this system is that it’s scalable.
Each atomic note in Obsidian can spawn multiple pieces of content across different platforms.
The best part? You’re not just creating more content. You’re creating personal content.
And in an age where AI can spit out content faster than you can type, that’s probably one of the last unique advantages you still have.
Want to turn your notes into content?
Get my free course below