Resources encompass the vast number of things you might be interested in, curious about, or passionate about at any given time.
Resources can include new skills you’re learning, such as breakdancing, photography, or golf. They could be fields or trends you’re curious about, like parenting, cryptocurrency, or artificial intelligence. Resources can also include your hobbies and passions: woodworking, bread baking, or playing the piano.
Although you may feel a lot of enthusiasm for these pursuits, I recommend using the relatively cold word “resources” for a very specific reason. I am a naturally curious person with dozens, if not hundreds of different subjects I’d like to know more about. But I also know my tendency is to collect too much and become a “digital hoarder.” I’ve found that I need a constraint to remind me what is worth saving and what isn’t.
The word “resources” calls to mind the utility of a piece of information. Instead of asking, “Is this interesting?” which always results in overcollecting, I ask myself, “Is this useful?” That’s a much higher bar and forces me to consider what this piece of information will allow me to do that I couldn’t do otherwise, which problem it could help me solve, or which obstacle it might help me overcome.
Taking into account the importance of utility, resources can also include “assets” such as stock photos, product testimonials, code snippets, typography samples, or a “swipe file,” a common practice from the advertising industry in which copywriters keep a folder full of examples to draw from in their work.