A short podcast mini‑chapter by Brian Johnson summarizing Michael Gelb’s “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” and describing a journaling exercise: write 100 questions in 45–60 minutes, identify themes, select and rank the top 10, then use those questions to guide one’s life. Johnson endorses the exercise as transformative and points listeners to his Philosopher’s Notes and newsletter for further material.
You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson. More Wisdom in Less Time this is a mini chapter from Brian's book A Philosopher's Notes. You can find it on Amazon.
Da Vinci in 100 Questions, Michael Gelb tells us we can learn how to think like Leonardo da Vinci. How? By mastering the seven key aspects of da Vinci's genius. It all starts with the first quality of a curiosity. Gelb's book is packed with great stuff to help us get our curiosity on, including what may just be the most powerful journal exercise I've ever done Goes something like this Find yourself a quiet place where you can relax with your journal for a good 45 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted know thyself time. When you're nice and comfy, bust open your journal and write down 100 questions on anything you find interesting. Could be anything from why is the sky blue? And why are my boogers green? To what is my purpose in life? Just write whatever flows. If you're like me, you'll probably find that the first dozen or two come relatively easily. Then you might hit a tough spot and want to give up. Don't keep on writing. Even if you repeat yourself and or don't feel totally inspired, you'll hit another burst of inspiration and keep at it till you get to 100. Once you've written your 100 questions, look back over them and see if you notice any themes. Do you talk about your professional or creative pursuits a lot? Your health? Your family? Spirituality? What themes emerge for you? Notice them and then identify the top 10 questions you find most inspiring. Which questions really fire you up? Write those down in a new place, then rank order those top 10 questions from one to 10, with one being the most inspiring question out of the whole 100. Now the fun's begun, it's time to make your life an answer to an expression of those questions. So little footnote here. This exercise is from the great book how to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, and it's easily one of the most transformative books I've read. Check out the Philosopher's note on it for some of my favorite big ideas and my own top questions. The questions I came up with when I did this exercise myself. They've guided my life in profound ways. I highly recommend you take the time to do this exercise.
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