World Notes · by Paolo Garcia · 2026-09-24

Notes from a very normal busy month with World Notes before coffee

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. culture got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

I tried this in Melbourne with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.

41 sparks · 23 comments

Comments

Oliver Smith · 36 likes

That last line is excellent. History gets easier to understand when you can place it on a street.

Ananya Rao · 11 likes

You explained the tradeoff really clearly. My friend tried it in Istanbul and had the opposite result.

Ngozi Bello · 10 likes

Big fan of this approach. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.

Gentle Marauder · 8 likes

That is a surprisingly elegant way to frame it. I used to overcomplicate this constantly. I love details that only make sense once you've been there.

Silver Fern · 2 likes

I am curious what changed your mind.

Tola Ibrahim · 2 likes

The best answer in the thread, honestly.

Gentle Marauder · 2 likes

That is fair, but I still worry about maintenance.

Martina Fernández · 0 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners.

Maya Williams · 2 likes

Anecdote beats theory here.

Rizky Pratama · 1 likes

Short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes.

Paolo Garcia · 1 likes

I like this more than the top-level advice.

Maya Williams · 1 likes

Respectfully, I see it the other way.

Paolo Garcia · 1 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating.

Rapid Orbit · 3 likes

You just saved me a bad purchase.

Omar Hassan · 2 likes

The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. The late summer version is even more interesting.

Urban Orbit · 2 likes

I am cheering for this update. The 9-minute rule is underrated.

Ngozi Bello · 2 likes

I would push back gently on the very part. Honestly, the simplest version wins for me.

Sleepy Panda · 2 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good.

Sleepy Panda · 1 likes

My version of this was messier, but the conclusion was similar. My friend tried it in Jakarta and had the opposite result.

Irene López · 1 likes

I would push back gently on the notes part. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near a coworking table.

Maya Putri · 1 likes

That is fair, but I still worry about maintenance.

Paolo Garcia · 1 likes

I am saving this for the next time I overthink notes. The busy month version is even more interesting.

Piotr Zieliński · 1 likes

This is adorable and oddly motivating. My friend tried it in Lagos and had the opposite result.