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HOW TO TAKE SMART NOTES: ONE SIMPLE TECHNIQUE TO BOOST WRITING, LEARNING AND THINKING BY SöNKE AHRENS

Book Review July 9, 2026

This book changed the way I take notes and read books. It reminded me that what you gain from a book is more important than how many books you read in a year. The book explores the Zettelkasten method in a tool-agnostic way, which I find especially valuable. Rather than promoting specific apps or platforms that may not stand the test of time, the book focuses on timeless principles of thinking, connecting ideas, and building lasting knowledge.

TEN TIMELESS LESSONS FROM "THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD"

Book Review July 7, 2026

Og Mandino's classic The Greatest Salesman in the World is built around ten short scrolls, each meant to be read daily for thirty days until its message becomes instinct rather than intention. Though written as guidance for salespeople, the ideas underneath are really about how anyone builds a life of discipline, resilience, and purpose. Here's what each scroll teaches, and why the lessons still hold up.

GETTING N8N RUNNING LOCALLY WITH SSL: THE PORT 443 DILEMMA AND HOW I SOLVED IT

Homelab July 13, 2025

Setting up n8n to run locally with SSL sounds like it should be straightforward. After all, it's just a matter of pointing to some certificate files and changing a port, right? Well, what I thought would be a quick 10-minute task turned into an hours-long debugging session that taught me some valuable lessons about n8n's configuration quirks. I needed this setup specifically for Telegram bot webhooks, which have strict requirements: HTTPS only, and the webhook URL must use one of Telegram's supported ports: 80, 88, 443, or 8443. N8n's default port 5678 simply won't work for Telegram webhooks, making this SSL configuration a necessity, not just a nice-to-have. The challenge was further complicated by running this in my homelab with a dynamic IP from my ISP, requiring me to use a subdomain from my hosting provider to make the service accessible from the internet. In this post, I'll walk you through my experience, the mistakes I made, and the eventual solution that got everything working smoothly using proper HTTPS that satisfies Telegram's webhook requirements in a homelab environment.

BOOK REVIEW: THE MOTIVE: WHY SO MANY LEADERS ABDICATE THEIR MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES BY PATRICK LENCIONI

Book Review July 10, 2025

"The Motive" by Patrick Lencioni argues that many leaders fail because they view leadership as a reward rather than a responsibility. The book contrasts two types of leaders: those who are responsibility-centered, willing to do the hard, often uncomfortable work of managing people, holding others accountable, and providing claritty, and those who are reward-centered, who avoid these tasks and focus on status or perks. Through a fictional story about a struggling CEO named Shea, Lencioni shows that real leadership requires humility, courage, and the commitment to serve others, not just enjoy the benefits of the title.

BOOK REVIEW: TWELVE PILLARS BY JIM ROHN

Book Review July 8, 2025

Twelve Pillars by Jim Rohn is a hidden gem that delivers powerful life lessons through a simple yet profound story. I really liked how the book blends storytelling with practical wisdom, making each of the twelve pillars easy to understand and apply. It reminded me that success isn't just about ambition or hard work, it’s about character, discipline, relationships, and continual growth. Every chapter felt like a conversation with a wise mentor, and by the end, I felt genuinely inspired to reflect and take action in my own life.