The New Approach of Knowledge Stacking

Unleash the full potential of your knowledge and skills with us, as we break down the concept of knowledge stacking. This approach is the key to standing out in your career as it combines multiple concepts into one powerful idea. It’s not just about having knowledge; it's about how you use it to create something unique and valuable. Discover how habit and skill stacking can be used for learning and how combining information with imagination aids in memory recall. 

We're more than just finance! This episode also explores the evolution of fintech and how knowledge stacking is creating a revolution in this industry. Traditional banks and money-saving apps like Monzo are put under the microscope, revealing the superior features of the latter. Hear how one YouTuber was able to take their skill set from a different field to create something valuable. From neurology to environmental design, we cover it all. So tune in and get ready to stack your knowledge and skills for a power-packed performance.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

There is a ton of concepts that we have come across in the 140 plus books that we have read. Even more.

Speaker 2: 0:06

And many of those concepts overlap and complement one another, providing a whole new perspective.

Speaker 1: 0:11

So what Mark and I are going to be doing for the next few episodes, if not forever, is to provide you with a unique perspective, and we're going to coin the term knowledge stacking. That's where we use multiple concepts to create a more powerful one.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Without further ado, let's get right into it.

Speaker 1: 0:26

This is the Needle Movers podcast.

Speaker 2: 0:35

Wait, tell me about habit stacking, because that's like the original. Which book was that?

Speaker 1: 0:40

Atomic Habits or that was Atomic Habits, and what it basically said was that habit stacking is when you put one habit on top of the other. For example, my perfect go to stack is I drink coffee in the morning. If I'm going to be doing any other routines, I'm going to stack the habit after the coffee, so that, basically, I'm associating a new action with something that is pretty much automated in my system. It's funny.

Speaker 2: 1:09

So it's so simple, but with work we'll extrapolate that to be into our other fields, and I'm not going to take any credit here, because you came up with the idea of knowledge stacking from that right.

Speaker 1: 1:21

Actually, there was also a second part of that. There was skill stacking from Steve Martlet. Yes, I do skill stacking too. So skill stacking was all about taking a look at where you're heading your career, entrepreneurial journey, et cetera and looking at not just your core skills. So, for example, if you're in marketing, you're not just going to be interested in well, actually you could be just interested in doing videos, social media, advertising, how to choose the right colors, et cetera, et cetera. But if you really want to stand out because, let's be realistic, if you only know those three skills, there's going to be a lot of experts that are probably going to be better than you and if you really want to stand out, what you want to be doing is that we are going to be looking at what else you can add onto that skill stack to really make you stand out. So, for example, if you can also do writing and you can also be a copywriter, and if you can also perhaps look at public speaking and doing all those other bits and pieces. Suddenly you've got a difference skill stack that really stands you out from the crowd.

Speaker 2: 2:31

So another way I think I always used to think of this when I was studying at school is and I didn't know what to call it then but it was like why didn't teachers teach us lessons in songs or in raps, so like if they basically, if you like, stacked the and that's what people do with like this chemistry, raps or something. Once it's in a song, it can be memorable. Once it's in a script or something, it can be memorable. But if it's in just form and phrasing, it's not as memorable. Okay, right here.

Speaker 1: 3:00

I wish that I could. I had Alexa in my room. I would ask Alexa to rap about science, and I kid you not, it has a rap that does, and it's both science.

Speaker 2: 3:10

I didn't know that was actually a thing that Alexa did. I, I, I, I and I took Alexa out of my room. Thankfully, I have seen a number of these ones, but it's for like much younger kids, like primary school, elementary school kids, where the teacher just happens to be really good with a lingo and they'll rap things or there's books on it, or there's a YouTube person which I'm sadly failing to remember the name, but he's made raps on like free little pigs and all these things. But it's the most memorable way to like take, consume information, at least for me. If I'm a, I'm a audio learner, like that's why I like audio books and stuff. But if you some ways, you do it with images, but it's still it's stacking two things. So that's how some people even remember better, right when they stack the skill, or they stack the information with something else that allows it. That's why I'm mind palaces, you know how, like Darren Brown talks about this, and like a number of magicians and people who have really good memories talk about how they make a mind palace where they put a room in their brain where they can go and pull information out, and that's like stacking imagination with information, to like save and hoard things, and I think it happens a lot of the time. And it's funny, cause on our episodes where we've been recording or when we're just genuinely talking, to be very honest, we'll always notice the overlaps, cause there are so, so many books and I'm not even just going with self help or self improvement or self development, I mean even fictional, random books where there are concepts, theories or just personality types that like stack with something else. It could even be they compliment each other. It could be that they are literally overlapping in terms of what they're saying. It's just very apparent once you've like, noticed it, or once you've heard it, once you're like, oh, that's from that book. In some books we've read, we've even gone over, we'll notice that the author will mention another book, right, like, oh yeah, stephen King, yeah, yeah. But the concept of taking it, I guess, from habit stacking to skill stacking, I'm pretty sure skill stacking may come from habits, I don't know, but to the point of knowledge stacking, I guess, is the, the development which I think is super curiously cool.

Speaker 1: 5:25

It is cool and we've done a couple of episodes where we have I've actually used knowledge stacking without almost I've been aware of it and, like you know, recalling it and naming. It is basically the episode where we talk about how we can implement Lin six sigma lessons, such as a Tim food, for example which is the different ways or different types of waste and applying that to your personal productivity so that you can clear up some of the activities that happen in your day. So this is an example of knowledge stacking. So you're basically using a concept from an industry which is manufacturing, applying it onto your personal productivity in order to generate more free time in your day.

Speaker 2: 6:07

It's, it's. It's funny or it's. Yeah, I think it can be funny if you do it with two different, like two totally juxtaposing, juxtaposing books. But also, whenever I thought of every time we've had conversations and I'm just like what's it called habits, you can always seem to stack that with something or a lot of books, where they're like sleep is important there's a whole book on why we sleep, so they'll give you, like some it's like getting surface level with one book and then depth level with the book that matters, and then that's how you can apply it, like getting an action, which so many books have, where it's like here's an action, go away and do this, build this habit, because you've got intention, and then there's a whole book on actually, if you want to build habits. So, taken as an example, say, why has nobody told me this? Where they're talking about practicing gratitude and doing things on purpose, but then you take on like the atomic habits where you have it stack that with something. So I don't really talk about gratitude. Now I'm expected to journal, so now I remember every time I like wake up or while I'm eating my breakfast, I'm able to write something down. You've now stacked that with your habit and therefore you're more likely to do it, versus if you just take one one book and be like that's it and also it's. I always mentioned this. There's so many actions you're supposed to take from every book. I don't know anyone, or if everyone, manages to just pause, stop reading, do every single action from every book they take Like, and it's impressive because if you go on Instagram, you'll see a lot of pages where they like, highlight, write or note something down.

Speaker 1: 7:44

And I think, to some extent picking up on that point about I'm not sure if everyone has an action everything they read from books. I think you raise a good point, but also, I think, a lot of the self health books and let's call them self health books. They range in a number of different topics. They almost fail sometimes to provide a holistic message. They will say, okay, the way forward is to do this one thing, and if you apply this one thing, you'll be as great as I don't know Gordon Ramsay, whatever. And the problem with that is that, yes, it might be one of the one of the key things that that person has done in order to achieve a goal or become successful, etc. But it's kind of missing out on all the other elements, or perhaps it's missing out on something that will enable you to apply that concept a lot more simply. So, going back to the example around applying a linsek sigma methodology to your personal productivity, there is a lot of gurus out there that will talk to you about how to implement techniques in order to be more productive in a day, but not a lot of them will give you the holistic image around. How do you actually find those gaps of times, or how do you find things that work for you? They will try to get you to apply perhaps a particular tool, but not look, get you to look at it holistically, and I think that's when knowledge stacking can be quite useful, in a way.

Speaker 2: 9:06

I think also, like you're saying, with the holistic route, what comes to mind is the exercise where people are like it's not how, it's not, it's where you get to, rather than how you get there, and so you know your destination and what tool you choose to get there is up to you. So these books might provide a like reduce perspective or reduce scope, saying kids are you get there, just do this one. Where is? There's a whole plethora of options, which is the route is not as fixed, let's say, and that's beneficial. I'm talking very like high level. But if we take it in terms of so that's why I like exercises, an option where it's like your goal is to reduce your weight, whatever, and the book that's telling you that is you just need to be determined, you just need to be motivated. Now go out and run. You hate running, like you like everything, and saying but the option it gave you was run, do high intensity, interval training, something like that. And then there's a whole different book on nutrition and there's another one and wait, and so you can knowledge stack to be like. So this one told me the way to focus and see the goal. This one told me how to get there with other options like that I more, much more prefer and then you can stack that knowledge in a way that is actually to your benefit, and so I think of it in terms of if someone was teaching you to fish and they only gave you a fish rodent, the that's all yours doing. And then you see someone come with a net and just grab a bunch and you're like I didn't even know there was an option and it's that. I think that's where it's way beneficial in terms of how you can use knowledge from other books or from other sources. I won't even limit it to books, because there's Ted talks, there's YouTube videos, there's podcasts podcast like ours and then there's books on top, which all make a difference, I think.

Speaker 1: 10:44

And you know you might be listening up until now. You must be thinking okay, those guys are talking all the arses that are talking about you know you're entitled to your own opinion. However, we've seen in the probably last five to ten years this very concept actually Benefit some industries. So if you look at companies such as revolute, for instance, or Monzo does a fintech companies, that's essentially like the marrying of two industries together, the marrying of Someone who knows about finance as well as someone that knows about technology, and when they come in together, we end up with fintech companies that every Imagine the financial system being used as an apple, being used as a technology company, which has actually benefited a ton of people. I mean, mark, you are I think both are revolute and a Monzo user and you.

Speaker 2: 11:34

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:35

And would you say that there is a huge difference between your normal bank account and your?

Speaker 2: 11:41

money is one day. Accounts to make sure I'm on the list, but Monzo is my favorite, but why? Why? Why is that? Well, even though I feel like I'm gonna call him brick and mortar, bank accounts have tried to like up their speed, but before they did anything freezing your card Make sure you could see the buckets in which you're spending. All those trackers and things have been, and even sharing or request and money have been simplified with these fintech Banking apps, whereas now I see the original essay bank accounts slowly trying to integrate some of those things like. I'm impressed that they're even allowing me to freeze my card, whereas so and also because I could just transfer money to it with such speed I can then take that out and if it gets lost, I'm feel more, much more secure. I can freeze it, I can check what's happening, I can reverse charges, I can flex a charge. You have so many options, so it's just giving me like a lot of options that I can consider. I think it's made my life easier.

Speaker 1: 12:41

And I mean, I've gone on this quite similar circumstances, the ability to freeze a card, for instance. You might think it's really obvious, but I really don't want to be calling the bank from abroad because the ATM in Sicily has eaten a card, which is what happened to me. All I had to do was log into the app and lock it and I mean I'm not. I'm not here to talk about months of Revolut or whatever, but what I'm here to talk about is the is the potential that knowledge stacking has got, and this is probably what we want to be taking away in terms of moving forward.

Speaker 2: 13:15

So one thing I want to differentiate as well is like and tell me if you agree, here is the differentiation between Okay, there's habit stacking, there's skill stacking, there's knowledge stacking habits stacking is two habits you try and stack together one that you want to do and what and when you're already doing, or one that you don't want to do and eliminating it with something that you're already doing, it like you can. You can block it by saying, oh, that's something I already do and intercepting it. That's habits. When it comes to skills, it's typically two skills you have that you're able to be, instead of, say, your top 10%, top 10%, you're now in the 1% who do both those skills because you stack them together and it's a way that makes you like Advanced, and I feel like the key differentiation is that they are skills that you have, like you're able to. You get these skills and you're able to stack them. Where is knowledge? Knowledge is where you are learning. This is the preemptive that gets you to either of those zones. Might be reading a book on habits and it's telling you hey, you want to stop smoking, this is a good habit to take up, do these things. And then you've read another book on why we sleep and you just realized that. Wait, I can compound these two things to make sure that it both bolsters both of them. I can see how they interact and Do things with that knowledge and it's like the preemptive stage. I think that is super crucial in like advancing or building or bettering yourself, and that's where I think it's a nice, nice lane where you get to think about knowledge stacking in the in terms of how it's different and yet still powerful.

Speaker 1: 14:43

And, in a way, another way in which this can be looked at is almost defining it as a blue ocean kind of strategy, right? If we think back to the circus a few years back, every single circus did exactly the same thing. They had animals, they had people fencing, a lion with a chair or whatever, and the circus, like, came around and they've actually implemented acrobats, they've implemented music, they implemented, like, a number of things that was happening in the shows. Yeah, exactly, which redefined a market that was already fairly stagnant, and, in a way, knowledge stacking can do something quite similar. So you've got all the books that talk to you about many different things. You've got books about habits. You've got books about how to I don't know how to learn about your finances. You've got books that talk to you about I'm going to turn around and look at my library Nothing useful. So far you don't have it. All those books there and you can't find anything All those books and they're all useless.

Speaker 2: 15:52

You just talked about categories, basically. What did you say?

Speaker 1: 15:54

Finance habits, mental self-improvement, self-discipline, self-esteem, mental health, self-esteem yeah exactly, and they all talk about the topic inside, though, and I think what really helps is to look at the broader aspect, and when you start looking at the broader aspect, you're able to merge into topics and, as you say, mark, get a lot more value out of it, and that value, I think, can open up a whole new market, or can open up a whole new perspective on life or on your work, on your personal life, etc.

Speaker 2: 16:29

A couple books that come to mind that are outside but still inside. This gap is like, okay, you can think of books on sex, or think of books on getting leads and generating cells, and then the fact that, okay, don't stack those two, that'll be. Unless you're on OnlyFans, go ahead and do your one. I was just wondering where you were going to go with that, but I meant like it doesn't have to be limited to self-improvement is one thing I really want to advocate. If you're like, how can knowledge stacking even be something for me, and here in this blue ocean, that's nice and dandy, but how is that something I can do or benefit from? It's literally. By now you've most likely, especially if you listen to us, read a book or two, and it's taking those principles, even as far-fetched as they might seem, to your benefit in terms of well, I just read $100 million leads, but I've already read the goal right. And now I've got these two major books with major principles and some of them complement each other and some of them I didn't realize could benefit each other if I put them together, and that's where it comes into a number of different ways and I think that's something we should explore. I'm talking to you now, val, where we can go in and just drive checking, and I think it should be fun. It could be fun to see what might have been left on the table, because every book is going to be a tunnel vision guaranteed. It's the vision of the author, which is great, but then having the opportunity to combine and maybe the second book is by the same author, there are so many books by Malcolm Gladwell, but still, it's just being able to take both aspects and, yeah, combine them in a way that's really, really beneficial to yourself.

Speaker 1: 18:11

And I think that's, I think, the proposal we're moving forward with. So, over the beginning of the year we say let's focus down on 20 minutes episode, and now what we're saying is let's diversify from what everyone else does. So there's a ton of people that talk about book summaries, book key concept. There's a ton of YouTube videos. Please don't leave us. I know there is other people, but what I'm getting to is let's provide a different perspective. Let's let's make this unique, let's make this more value-added and let's take those multiple concepts, marry them together and provide something even more valuable that that or listeners can then take away and and use in a in a Think big type situation.

Speaker 2: 18:56

Yeah, so going forward, that's exactly what we'll do. They're join us along the journey. If you have any books that you want to recommend, please send them through. Find ones that you think are tricky, because I do like the challenge of seeing if there are points or if they Just do not mesh. But also I think it's really it's. It's like an exercise I feel people are trying to do mentally, without the intent, like you already knew, and maybe you read the chimp paradox and then you read start with why and you knew there was similarities, but you never did knowledge stacking, and this is an opportunity for us to like go in and deep, dive into things like that. They give us the opportunity to explore that and see actually the oh god, this is like Dragon Ball Z fusion hub, see where we confuse them and make a go tanks or go Jeter or some figure over. That will be much more powerful when combined.

Speaker 1: 19:52

And just to leave you with us. I guess some things that were to come or some things to reflect on here is like a handful of examples. So if you take neurology and decision-making in marketing, that brings in a whole new perspective around how neurology can Determine the things that you do, your marketing to sell your product as an entrepreneur. If you look at psychology and Gaming, you suddenly got gaming theory or a gamified environment and you can make advantage of a gamified platform in order to make it more engaging or even perhaps make training of employees more engaging. If you take Environmental design and mental health, suddenly you can look at how you can change your home To create a better environment for yourself in order to be more productive or be more restful, or how you can perhaps plan your Environment in such a way that you, you are happy or it conducive to be More effective what you do. So there's a number of different topics that can come together and, of course, what I mentioned earlier as well about taking the lean principles and how you apply them to your personal life to be more productive and less wasteful.

Speaker 2: 21:07

So talking about Blue Ocean and bringing that back and aligning it with Skill Stack, and this reminds me of a YouTube video I saw, which it's a shame because it always comes to mind but I don't actually watch it because I know it or I don't feel it's pertaining to me. And what it was was this YouTuber who has taken the skills and application of what tech reviewers do, where they do an unboxing, an unwrapping, like a lovely camera setting, where it's over the top and you can see literally overhead and you can see the thing coming out and being shown and clear and crystal, and then doing a review of it. And the thing that they're reviewing, which is wild to me, is exam papers, and I was just so in awe just knowing that that exists, but I'm aware the reason why I'm like. It's not for me, though. It is super interesting to see.

Speaker 1: 21:57

Sorry, I can imagine the viewers like looking at that particular video taking the number two pencils going exam exam exam.

Speaker 2: 22:05

I mean, if they unbox, there's probably someone unboxing pencils too but with that, like I'm thinking, the only people who'd be interested in my mindset is like teachers or students. If she goes through the actual papers, I'd have been interested like 10, 15 years ago. But, like seeing that I saw what was a super red ocean because there's so much, there's even a channel called Unbox Therapy. There's so many tech reviewers who just unbox and show what the new product is Like the Apple iPhone 15 came out. So many reviews came out within space of like a couple hours. And then, like, when people get their new ones, they're gonna unbox and say, look at my brand new, whatever. I've not seen this done, which is where you've taken something from the red, put it to the blue of like this is exam papers. No one else is doing this, right, but the skill to be able to. But then she's skill stacking because, of course, to be like a YouTuber or you have to be able to talk, you have to be able to make it presentable, you have to be able to edit and make sure it's clear, cut, clarity, all of those things. So, and her knowledge is an exam. She didn't try and differentiate, she said, I'm going to go on YouTube, I'm going to make something that is like up within my avenue, but also I'm going to take the application from this whole different field, which still provides value, and like, I applaud it, I respect it, it stays in my head, it lives rent free and I'm not kicking it out anytime soon. I probably will look it up. I hope someone else does. But that to me is like taking blue ocean and skill stacking and making it a knowledge stack by making that that link, and I'm pretty sure they're very successful. Pretty sure. It's a shame because I know answer in progress is probably the YouTube channel that made me know aware of them because they asked her a question, but I do not remember the channel they asked.

Speaker 1: 23:54

The question was no, it's great, right, because it's a whole new field in a way that she created, which is wrapping exam papers, but at the same time, it utilizes the skill set that she has in a totally different light. But also the skill set that she has it's recording, videoing and publishing YouTube, also creating the content, so copywriting in some sense, and also knowledge on the exam paper. So, in terms of like, if you look at that as a skill stack, that's been then utilized to create, like, this whole new market, which is amazing. And here is the inception point in some way, I guess, to some extent, that's what we're trying to do as well, right? So we're trying to take the concept of uh, of knowledge stacking, which is probably something that I want to say, like we coined, but not really and I'm marrying that together with uh, with podcasts, by taking two books together and doing so so that it delivers a third elemental value, which is, uh, even more value added for uh, for listening. So hopefully you will take this away, you will enjoy it, hopefully it'll be useful. Let us know right to us. I know there is a few of you listening and, uh, we've not received any messages yet. So please do write to us. Uh, we love, uh, we love to hear, but uh, as always, I've been uh one of your hosts, valera Tomaso.

Speaker 2: 25:11

And I'm Mark Jason's until next time.

Speaker 1: 25:14

I dios with the nothing but this thing until next time. Why did I?

Speaker 2: 25:21

say that I'm keeping this all in, by the way.

Speaker 1: 25:24

And, yes, we have had questions. I feel dirty by the way you can. Here's what you can say, that piece.

Speaker 2: 25:28

We have had questions. They just come direct. Send it through our channels. We've got Instagram for a reason. We've got, um, all these social media's on our website for a reason. But I'll let you actually sign off, the way we always do until next time, adios.

Speaker 1: 25:41

Oh, it feels so much better. It feels so much better.