I’ve Been Sitting on $50,000 Worth of Notes

Why I stopped hoarding knowledge and started turning insights into assets

Sep 21, 2025

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I’m sitting on years of notes.

Ideas scribbled during meetings. Insights from books I’ve read three times. Random thoughts that seemed brilliant at 2 AM. Frameworks I developed solving real problems.

All trapped in notebooks and digital files, doing absolutely nothing.

Last month, I calculated what this knowledge could be worth if I actually shared it. Conservative estimate: $50,000 USD annually in courses, consulting, and content.

That’s when I realized: I was hoarding currency instead of spending it.

The hardest part wasn’t creating the knowledge. It was admitting I’d been keeping it locked away while complaining I had nothing valuable to share.

We’re living through the biggest economic shift in decades, and most people are missing it.

Information is today’s currency.

Not just access to information—everyone has Google. Curated, connected, contextualized information that helps people make better decisions faster.

Publishing content lets others access your knowledge, but more importantly, it transforms your insights from expenses (time spent learning) into assets (knowledge that generates value).

The old economy: Trade time for money, retire with savings The new economy: Trade knowledge for assets, build systems that work without you

But most people keep their best insights locked away, waiting for the “perfect” original idea.

They’re missing the point entirely.

Here’s what I used to believe about sharing knowledge:

I need completely original ideas
My thoughts must be fully formed before sharing
Notes are private until they’re perfect
The only way to monetize knowledge is hourly consulting

Everything already exists in some form. Art is the rearrangement of what’s known.

Your unique combination of experiences, perspectives, and insights creates originality through connection, not invention.

The breakthrough insight: The value isn’t in having original thoughts—it’s in making new connections between existing ideas.

The Note-to-Asset System That Generated Real Income

After years of letting knowledge gather dust, I built a systematic approach to turn notes into income-generating assets:

Step 1: Break Notes Into Smaller, Linkable Parts

Instead of waiting for the perfect essay, I started extracting individual insights from my notes.

One meeting note becomes 3-5 separate ideas.
One book summary becomes 10 quotable insights.

Small pieces are easier to publish, easier to connect, and easier for readers to consume and share.

Step 2: Explain and Connect Ideas

I stopped just collecting insights and started explaining the relationships between them.

By linking related notes, you create something original through connection. A productivity insight + a parenting observation + a business principle becomes a unique framework.

Content that feels fresh because the combinations are uniquely yours.

Step 3: Publish Evergreen Content

Like money in an investment account, content can grow on its own once it’s created.

Content that stays useful for years, continues attracting readers, and builds trust in your thinking over time.

Examples from my notes:

“The 3 Types of Feedback People Actually Want” (from management experience)
“Domain-First Development” (from software consulting)
“Time as Currency” (from productivity experiments)

Step 4: Share Process, Not Just Results

Instead of only publishing polished conclusions, I started sharing the messy middle.

What I share now:

Books I’m reading with real-time insights
Problems I’m solving with experiments in progress
Projects I’m building with lessons as they emerge

People learn from your process while you learn from their feedback. This creates a virtuous cycle of improvement.

Step 5: Let Content Compound

In this economy, ideas are a form of trade. Instead of exchanging hours, we share knowledge.

Each piece of content references and reinforces others. Your body of work becomes more valuable than the sum of its parts.

What This Note-to-Asset Approach Actually Built

After 18 months of systematically publishing my notes:

Income Generation:

Notes became income-generating content streams
Dormant insights transformed into consulting opportunities
Ideas I thought were “too small” became valuable when connected
Content started working for me instead of just taking up storage space

Professional Growth:

Publishing process revealed connections I hadn’t seen before
Readers validated insights I thought were obvious
Feedback improved my thinking in real-time
Network expanded beyond my geographic and industry limitations

Personal Development:

Knowledge became an asset that appreciates over time
Ideas gained clarity through the act of explanation
Learning accelerated because I was teaching simultaneously
Confidence grew as insights proved valuable to others

Every time I recommend this approach, I hear the same objections:

"My ideas aren’t original enough": Your job isn’t to create something from nothing—it’s to rearrange what’s known in new ways. Every book you’ve read, every problem you’ve solved, every experience you’ve had gives you unique perspectives.

"I don’t have anything new to say": The combination of your experiences is what makes it original. No one else has your exact mix of technical knowledge, life experience, and perspective.

"No one will care about my notes": You’d be surprised. The insights that feel obvious to you are often revelatory to others who haven’t had your experiences.

"I need to build an audience first": Content builds the audience. Start publishing valuable insights, and interested people will find you.

Why This Matters More Now Than Ever

AI is changing how we create content, but it’s not changing the value of curated human insight.

AI can generate information faster than ever. But it can’t generate wisdom from lived experience.

Your notes contain:

Context AI doesn’t have
Connections AI can’t make
Credibility AI can’t earn
Perspective AI can’t develop

While others worry about AI replacing them, you’re using your unique human insights to create irreplaceable value.

The Specific System I Use Daily

Here’s my actual note-to-content workflow:

Morning (15 minutes):

Review yesterday’s notes from meetings, reading, thinking
Extract 2-3 insights worth sharing
Add them to my “potential content” list

Weekly (30 minutes):

Connect related insights from the week
Draft 3-5 short pieces of content
Identify 1 longer piece that connects multiple insights

Monthly (2 hours):

Review all published content for patterns
Create longer-form content that synthesizes themes
Plan next month’s content based on reader feedback

Consistent publishing without the stress of starting from scratch every time.

How to Start Your Note-to-Asset System

Don’t try to transform your entire knowledge base overnight. Start with one experiment:

This Week: Audit your notes from the last month. Find 10 insights worth sharing. These could be:

Something you learned from a book
A realization from a difficult conversation
A process that worked better than expected
A mistake that taught you something valuable

Next Week: Pick 3 of those insights. Write 2-3 sentences explaining each one. Publish them on whatever platform you’re most comfortable with.

Week 3: Look for connections between your published insights and new notes you’re taking. Start linking ideas together.

Week 4: Create one longer piece that connects multiple insights into a framework or story. Start your own newsletter. Publish one a week.

The Business Model That Emerges

When you consistently publish valuable insights, multiple income streams naturally develop:

Direct monetization:

Consulting opportunities from people who resonate with your thinking
Speaking requests from organizations that value your perspective
Course or product ideas that emerge from popular content

Indirect benefits:

Career opportunities from increased visibility
Professional network expansion through shared interests
Industry recognition as a thoughtful practitioner

Compound growth:

Content that continues attracting readers years later
Reputation that opens doors you couldn’t have imagined
Knowledge that appreciates in value as you add context and connections

In an economy where job security is disappearing, your published insights become career insurance.

Traditional career path: Hope your employer values you enough to keep paying Knowledge-sharing path: Build an audience that values your thinking regardless of your employment status

The protection: When your next career transition happens (voluntary or not), you already have proof of your expertise and an engaged network.

The opportunity: Your day job becomes one income source among many, not your only source of security.

Every day you wait to share your insights is a day of currency sitting in a vault earning zero interest.

The questions that matter:

What valuable knowledge are you keeping locked in your notes?
Which insights from your experience could help others avoid your mistakes?
What connections between ideas are obvious to you but not to others?

Start today: Open your notebook or notes app. Find one insight you wrote down recently. Break it into three smaller pieces.

Publish one piece tomorrow.

Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for value. Your knowledge is currency, and currency is meant to be spent to create more value.

Your notes are waiting to become assets. Are you ready to turn hoarded knowledge into shared value?

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