Episode Overview

Podcast: The Read Well Podcast
Host: Eddy Hood
Episode: Learn to Journal Like Ralph Waldo Emerson (Part 2 of 6) | EP110
Date: September 8, 2025

In this episode, host Eddy Hood explores Ralph Waldo Emerson's practice of staying in "constant contact" with his journals—not just writing in them, but continually revisiting, rereading, and annotating them to deepen his thinking and fuel his creativity. Eddy shares practical advice inspired by Emerson, discusses his own educational journey, provides a brief review of a key ethics book, and updates listeners on his brick-and-mortar bookstore campaign.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Life Updates and Personal Context (00:35 – 06:48)

• Eddy's Current Endeavors:
  • Balancing launching a brick-and-mortar bookstore, hosting the podcast, and going back to school with his family's support.
  • Currently pursuing a degree in philosophy and a minor in English literature, inspired by the opportunity of free tuition through his wife’s faculty benefit.
• Philosophy Coursework:
  • Ethics Bowl Class: Not eligible to compete due to previous degree, but supporting the team through research and mentorship.
  • Motivation for Studying Philosophy:
    • "I want to get really good at sitting in a conversation... and trying to avoid that knee jerk reaction... and I want to get better at crafting arguments that are supportive and you know, referenced and have some sort of logical conclusion." (05:05)
  • Existentialism Class: Enthusiasm for studying existentialists like Sartre, Camus, and de Beauvoir to better examine meaning and modern issues.
    • "I don't always agree with everything that the existentialists teach, but I do find their writing engaging and thought provoking..." (06:32)

2. Emerson’s Journaling Practice – Deep Engagement (06:48 – 18:42)

• Emerson's Journals as "Tools for Clarity"
  • Emerson filled 263 journals, using them for developing ideas and advancing his intellectual and creative goals—not as a daily events diary.
    • "Emerson used his journals as tools for clarity of thought, for a way to become a better speaker and thinker and writer..." (09:50)
• The Limits of Indexing Alone
  • Emerson acknowledged the tendency to lose valuable content in full notebooks, prompting him to develop complex indexing systems (to be discussed in depth next episode).
    • "He knew there were gems in his notebook and it's not enough to index them and put them back on the shelf. You have to be in constant contact with these notebooks." (13:15)
• Constant Interaction with Notebooks
  • Emerson regularly reread, annotated, and updated old journals, marking changes in his thoughts over time.
  • Eddy reflects on his own failure to maintain contact with filled notebooks and proposes a corrective routine.
    • "I haven't done a good enough job at being in constant contact with them. I haven't gone back and re read them." (14:15)
• Actionable Homework:
  • Gather all scattered notebooks.
  • “Start reading through them this week... like you would a book. It’s going to take you immediately back to the day that you wrote these passages... you will see the arc of your thinking, you will see yourself changing and growing as a person.” (16:23)
• Personal Discovery:
  • Finds forgotten quotes and ideas for business, family, or health, and feels grateful to rediscover them.

3. Book Recommendation: Ethics in a Nutshell by Matt Deaton (18:42 – 22:55)

• Why This Book?:
  • Assigned for Eddy’s Ethics Bowl class—a concise introduction to major ethical theories, ideal for beginners.
  • "The reason why I love this book is, I mean, it’s less than 100 pages... but it's a book about ethics written in a way that is very approachable and easy to understand." (19:40)
• Chapter 5 Highlight:
  • Covers Kantiism, Consequentialism, Virtue Ethics, and Care Ethics.
    • "Chapter five alone is worth the cost... it walks you through Kantiism, Consequentialism, Virtue ethics, and Care ethics." (20:23)
• Relevance to Listeners:
  • Understanding these frameworks brings self-awareness about personal moral reasoning and provides better tools for evaluating right and wrong.
    • "Having those evaluation methods in your toolbox, I would argue will make you a more well rounded human being." (22:15)

4. Community Update: Edgewater Bookstore Kickstarter (22:55 – 27:41)

• Bookstore Progress:
  • Eddy is under contract for a new bookstore location; working through financing and due diligence.
  • "The good news, you guys, is that I'm under contract on this building. I don't have it yet, right? It's got 60 days of due diligence..." (24:12)
• Kickstarter Campaign Status:
  • $15,000 raised so far; 15 days left; personal, family, and community support highlighted.
• Special Offer for Backers:
  • $25 donation grants access to the "30 Day Focused Reader" online course:
    • "Every day you watch a little video by me... to help you fine tune your focus... By the end of the 30 days you’ve worked yourself up to a really strong one hour reading habit in a book of your choice." (26:05)

5. What's Coming Next (27:41 – End)

• Preview of Next Episode:
  • Next week will focus on Emerson's indexing systems—how he (sometimes unsuccessfully) tried to organize his massive collection of journals, with lessons listeners can apply or avoid.
    • "Next week I'm quite excited because we'll begin talking about indexing systems and we're going to talk about how Emerson started to think about his journals to gain organizational control over them..." (27:52)
• Closing Advice:
  • "As always, remember to read slowly, take notes, and apply the ideas." (28:53)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "I want to get really good at sitting in a conversation... and trying to avoid that knee jerk reaction... and I want to get better at crafting arguments..."
  — Eddy Hood, (05:05)

• "Emerson used his journals as tools for clarity of thought, for a way to become a better speaker and thinker and writer..."
  — Eddy Hood, (09:50)

• "He knew there were gems in his notebook and it's not enough to index them and put them back on the shelf. You have to be in constant contact with these notebooks."
  — Eddy Hood, (13:15)

• "I haven't done a good enough job at being in constant contact with them. I haven't gone back and re read them."
  — Eddy Hood, (14:15)

• "Start reading through them this week... like you would a book. It’s going to take you immediately back to the day that you wrote these passages... you will see the arc of your thinking, you will see yourself changing and growing as a person."
  — Eddy Hood, (16:23)

• "Chapter five alone is worth the cost... it walks you through Kantiism, Consequentialism, Virtue ethics, and Care ethics."
  — Eddy Hood, (20:23)

• "Having those evaluation methods in your toolbox, I would argue will make you a more well rounded human being."
  — Eddy Hood, (22:15)

Action Items and Takeaways

• Emulate Emerson:

  • Keep all your notebooks in one place, revisit, reread, and annotate them regularly to reconnect with past ideas and notice your intellectual growth.

• Book Recommendation:

  • Read Ethics in a Nutshell by Matt Deaton, especially chapter 5, to quickly grasp four major ethical frameworks.

• Support the Bookstore:

  • If interested, back the Edgewater Bookstore Kickstarter to support Eddy’s mission and access unique learning opportunities.

Recap and Next Steps

This episode gave practical, Emerson-inspired guidance for engaging with your own notes—urging regular rereading and reflection, not just writing. Eddy supplemented this lesson with philosophical book recommendations and community updates, promising a deeper dive into organizing and indexing notes next week.

As always — read slowly, take notes, apply the ideas!