Reader, If I start counting how many documents I have come across that have hand-made Table of Contents, it will take me a couple of days to finish counting.
But it is not their fault.
Because there is something inherently soo simple about text editors such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs that people take them for granted and use them for nothing but typing and styling the fonts.
But it doesnât have to be this way.
Why it matters to me
Anything that helps save time and effort is a yes-yes.
When we start using tiny, no-brainer features such as âText Stylesâ in Google Docs or MS Word, the following things happen.
1. Our document starts self-organizing
It is logical that Heading-1 encloses Heading-2. Heading-2 encloses Heading-3 and so on.. This gives rise to self-organizing documents.
2. Noise cancellation
When we start labeling headings and body text with appropriate styles, junk text canât hide anywhere.
3. Seamless âTable of Contentsâ creation
And thenâŠWith just a single click, we can create a Table of Contents. With hyperlinks and whatnot. If you change your content placement, no worries. Just update the Table of Contents.
This Text Styles toolbar is our friend
Sure, the text styles look out of proportion. Not aesthetically pleasing.
But we can change the styles as per our taste.
I will spare you some time and you can directly watch the following video (runtime 3:45)
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The point is to do smart work.
Knowledge workers cannot afford to struggle with simple things such as Text Styling in text editors.
So Reader, do you use text styling in your regular work?
What is your observation about people using or not using such features?
Hit Reply and tell me!
Reads of the week:
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This week, I watched (without skipping a second) this refreshing podcast from Peter Boghossian (runtime 44 minutes).
I loved Dr. Dorian’s answers and found a new respect for the University of Chicago.
Some background before you dive into it:
In 2021, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) canceled a high-profile lecture by Dr. Dorian Abbot, a renowned geophysicist from the University of Chicago. The topic of the lecture was not the issue. Rather, Dorian was targeted by Social Justice activists because of his critique of DEI ideology. MIT buckled to the demands of a handful of ideologues, inadvertently contributing to discussions about academic censorship.
MIT did not expect the blowback it received for hobbling scientific inquiry in favor of ideological conformity. MIT alumni formed the Free Speech Alliance and its faculty overwhelmingly voted to adopt a university statement regarding freedom of expression. Since then, Dorian has become a leading figure in the fight for academic freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry.
In this conversation, Peter Boghossian and Dorian discuss the MIT fiasco, the proper aim of academia, the immorality of DEI, speech as âviolence,â University of Chicagoâs commitment to academic freedom, finding meaning through religion and naturalism, Dorianâs rejection of tyrannical âequalityâ mandates, and much more.