About

Hi, I’m Thomas Frank, and I think trying to smile for pictures always feels really awkward. 

I’m a video creator and writer with a focus on productivity, learning, and personal development. I’m also a Notion power-user, and create tutorials and free Notion templates on the side.

In 2010, I started a little blog in my dorm room called College Info Geek in order to share my experiments in studying more effectively and getting the most out of college. 

Since then, I’ve applied my interests in productivity and self-development to YouTube, several podcasts, a book, and more.

Here are a few of the things I’ve worked on…

Thomas Frank - Headshot 2021

My Projects

Thomas Frank YouTube

My YouTube Channel

I make videos that explore topics like productivity, habits, health, and finance. This channel originally started as a video companion for my study skills articles on College Info Geek, but as I've grown older, it has become a place for me to explore methods of living a productive and fulfilling life. It's also how I justify my obsession with buying camera gear. Currently, the channel has over 2 million subscribers and 120 million views.

Notion Tutorials and Templates by Thomas Frank

Notion Education

I've always been interested in productivity tools, and none has captured my interest more than Notion. While many people view it as a note-taking app, I see Notion as a graphical programming language that lets you build your own productivity tools. I run my entire business in Notion - tasks, project management, company wiki, and more. On this site (and on my channel Thomas Frank Explains), I create Notion tutorials and share my templates.

College Info Geek Logo

College Info Geek

A site that helps students of all ages study more efficiently, prepare for their future careers, and learn essential life skills. College Info Geek started in my dorm room as a side project, but eventually grew to be my full-time job before I graduated. Today, the site is visited by over 400,000 students a month.

The Inforium

The Inforium

My podcast The Inforium is a space for long-form, nuanced conversations about productivity, personal finance, self-development, and other topics related to living a more fulfilling life. This show started life as The College Info Geek Podcast, and ran for 325 episodes. On most episodes, I'm joined by my co-host and good friend Martin Boehme.

10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades

10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades

Published in January 2015, my first book helps guide students through the process of studying more productively and boosting their grades. Though the digital version is free at College Info Geek, more than 20,000 copies of the self-published edition have been sold, and the audiobook edition was published by Brilliance Audio in 2018.

Thomas Frank - Icicle Swords single art

Musical Endeavours

One of my favorite hobbies is making music; I've been playing guitar since I was 12, and I've also dabbled in piano, singing, live-looping, and music production. Most of my work tends to be improvisational, with my most popular track being a live-looping performance inspired by Tash Sultana.

Ideas I Live By

  1. The 1% Rule. To get really good at any skill or discipline, put yourself on a schedule and aim to get 1% better at some aspect of that skill with each new project. Over time, you’ll see your skills grow rapidly.
  2. Show up and have something to show. If you want to build great professional relationships and position yourself for more “lucky” opportunities, both of these actions are needed. You must spend a significant amount of time creating, honing your skills, and building something of value you can offer others. You also have to get out there and “show up” – attend events, interact with people online, and become a part of the community for whatever you’re pursuing.
  3. I am NOT the product of the five people I spend the most time with. This is a common piece of self-development advice, and I detest it. I’ve gotten more emails than I can count from people who have heard this and feel they have to leave their friends behind because they’re “not ambitious enough”. I always remind myself that just as the people I spend time with can build me up, so too can I build them up.
  4. Be a Solution Finder. One of the most valuable skills in today’s economy is the ability to independently find solutions for tough problems. Our easy access to search engines and digital assistants makes it so easy to get in the habit of giving up when a solution isn’t immediately present, and I try my best to avoid developing this habit.
  5. Ego hinders growth. I try to view being wrong as a good thing. Though having my views challenged will always cause my emotional side to go on the defensive at first, the best possible response afterward is to let that guard down and ask myself, “Could I be wrong here?” Often, I am.

Contact Me

Want to get in touch or follow me? Feel free to connect with me on Twitter. If you’d like to reach out with a collaboration or business proposal, you can email me at [email protected].

Headshots

These images are free to use in interviews, podcast show notes, articles, etc, and are released under a CC BY-NC license. Click each photo to find attribution information in the photo caption.

Press

Most of my podcast interviews and appearances can also be found in this Spotify playlist.

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🤔 Have an UB Question?

Fill out the form below and I’ll answer as soon as I can! ~Thomas

🤔 Have a Question?

Fill out the form below and I’ll answer as soon as I can! ~Thomas