At the age of 65 I decided to go back to university to pursue a PhD. I am a late academic bloomer. I did my M.A. at the age of 47 in the field of culture research, with focus on the art world. Over the years, I have been an active agent in the Israeli art world, as a gallery owner, curator, writer and independent journalist. It took me a long time to realize that my passion was in research and not in business but I had no plans to do a PhD after a bad experience I had with my thesis counsellor. The shift occurred as a result of my work as a guide at the 2024 Venice art biennale. Many topics related to this event aroused my passion for deep learning. With encouragement from some close friends, I embarked on my journey in October 2024 at the Department of Culture Studies at Tel-Aviv University. It was the best decision I could have made.

My personal knowledge management journey began back in 2022, with Tiago Forte’s book “Building a Second Brain”. That was when I discovered that I was a knowledge worker. As a writer of a weekly newsletter on the art world and a biennale tour guide, knowledge is my business. I started using Notion to organize my various knowledge bases and built a database for my Venice Biennale work. But when it came to my PhD, I felt I needed a tool that could handle the complex, interconnected nature of academic research, to make it easier to create a synthesis between ideas. I discovered Sohnke Ahrens’ book “How to Take Smart Notes” and the Zettelkasten method, which led me to the concept of linking notes. That led me to Obsidian and to Nick Milo, from whom I initially learnt the basic principles of “Linking your thinking” in Obsidian. But his teachings didn’t address the specific needs of academic learning- especially regarding citations and PDF annotations.

Enter Ilya Shabanov!

From the first email I got in January 2025, I haven’t stopped learning from him. I have purchased all of his courses and frequently go back to various course materials. There are so many mentors out there and I feel lucky that I found Ilya. His way of thinking and teaching suits the way my mind works perfectly. His teachings are crystal clear and easy to implement.

I think Ilya’s strength is in basic academic note taking – creating the right mindset for making the most out of what you read and learn. Before Effortless Academic, I was a passive reader, simply collecting articles in Instapaper. Now I read with purpose, actively engaging with texts through strategic annotation, using Ilya’s method of PDF annotation. From Ilya, I’ve also learned to create literature notes that capture not just what authors say, but how their ideas connect to my research questions. My writing process has been revolutionized – instead of staring at blank pages, I now write by linking and developing ideas that have been growing in my vault for months.

One of my favourite things is to look at my Obsidian graph and see the connections and evolving ideas. It reveals unexpected links between concepts that I would never have discovered with traditional linear note-taking. I’ve developed templates for different types of notes and use tags strategically to create multiple access points to my knowledge. It’s so satisfying!

Ilya’s teaching develops together with technology. Since I joined the Effortless Academic community, I have learnt how to use AI tools to process my academic knowledge. Specifically, I’ve mastered tools like ChatGPT, building custom bots that are unique to my needs. I have learnt how to use SciSpace for analyzing complex papers, and various Obsidian plugins that enhance my pleasure in using this tool.

The concrete outcomes have been remarkable. What used to take me days of searching through scattered Instapaper articles now takes hours. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve regained my joy in learning. Unlike my previous thesis experience, I now feel empowered and confident in my research abilities. I wake up excited to dive into my Obsidian vault and see what new connections might emerge. The stress and overwhelm I once felt when facing academic research has been replaced by curiosity and systematic progress.

To any fellow late bloomers or knowledge workers hesitant about embracing these new methods: the investment in learning is absolutely worth it. Ilya’s courses don’t just teach tools – they transform how you think about knowledge itself.

At 65, I’m proof that it’s never too late to revolutionize your approach to learning and research.