I need a second brain!

Creativity peaks when we're not actively trying to be creative.

I have peaks when I am:

• In the bathroom
• Walking or running
• Cooking
• Driving / riding
• Just before sleeping

Now, the problem with this is capturing it and retrieving it later.

I have tried:

1. Audio notes
2. Google Home and Alexa (reminders)
3. Apple Notes

But they were all practically of no use to me....

In January 2024, I came across a concept: “Second Brain”.

Let me explain it.

Before we start!

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What is a Second Brain?

A Second Brain is a concept invented by Tiago Forte, a productivity expert, consultant, and founder of Forte Labs.

A Second Brain is a digital brain that is an external extension of your mind.

In simpler words, it’s an external system that helps you remember, think, and be more creative by offloading some of the mental work to an external resource.

It’s a way to enhance your memory and productivity, be it related to your personal or professional life.

Why is a Second Brain Required?

The book “Building a Second Brain” is a masterpiece.

I got hooked on the book the moment I read a quote mentioned in the first chapter: “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” — David Allen, author of Getting Things Done.

I resonated with the quote. It was in my mind always, but I never got words to express it.

After going deeper into this topic, I discovered Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve.

Ebbinghaus conducted studies to explore how information is forgotten over time if not actively reviewed or reinforced. This was done in the 19th century.

His research led to the formulation of the forgetting curve, which illustrates that forgetting occurs rapidly in the initial hours and days after learning something new, and then gradually levels off over time.

Some inferences:

1. We lose 50% of information within the first twenty-four hours of initial exposure to the information.
2. We tend to retain only 25% of information within a week without any revision.
3. Revision helps a lot, as shown in the figure above.

Now, I understood why I don’t remember names. Probably, you need a couple of meetings to remember a name.

I am a content creator. I need to be creative.

Creativity is a structured process and not spontaneous or unstructured.

To share content consistently, I read, listen, and watch a lot.

And what you consume is what you will create.

In between consuming and creating lies the need for a second brain.

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How to Build a Second Brain

Tiago Forte has a perfect solution.

Let me explain it and also show how I built my second brain.

CODE — [Collect, Organise, Distill, Express]

This is the framework.

Let’s understand it one by one.

Collect

This is the starting point. When you come across anything that you feel you should capture, keep it in what we can call the ‘Inbox’.

What should you capture?

• Anything you resonate with
• Anything that makes you feel awe.

How I do it?

My inbox contains data from:

• My organic thoughts
• Books
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Overheard someone talking
• Talking to someone
• Sitting in a discussion

I capture it in real-time or within an hour of understanding that I need to put this in my inbox.

I use Notion because it is available on all platforms (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android).

Organise

Collecting information is the easiest step. So, starting this second brain has minimum friction.

After collecting notes in the inbox, you need a way to retrieve them for later usage.

Now, generally, we store any information according to its source. Which is not a right practice.

The information should be stored according to the usage of that information.

We should have an idea of how we can retrieve information later with ease.

For this, we use the ‘PARA’ method.

Projects (P) — This category involves the specific outcomes or deliverables you are actively working on. Projects are time-bound and have a defined endpoint. They represent the immediate tasks and objectives that require your attention.

Areas (A) — They represent ongoing aspects of your life or work that require consistent attention and effort. Areas help you organize your work into meaningful domains.

Resources (R) — Resources are reference materials or sources of information that are not task-specific but provide valuable support for your projects and areas. This category includes documents, notes, articles, or any information that you may need to refer to for ongoing or future work. Resources convert into projects and areas in the future.

Archives (A) — Archives are the storage space for completed or inactive projects, reference materials, and other information that you want to keep for historical purposes. Archiving helps maintain a clean and focused workspace while retaining access to valuable past information.

How I do it?

Look at all the screenshots from my second brain. It is just a month’s effort, and I feel good about building a second brain.

I am curious about how the compound effect will come into place after a few months, years, and decades.

I take approximately one hour every week to shift Inbox into one of the PARA pages. I do it every Sunday.

Distill

It is about extracting the essential insights, principles, or key points from the information you’ve collected.

It’s the process of condensing and clarifying the material to retain the most valuable and actionable components.

Express

Once you have distilled the information, the final step is to express it in a format that is useful and applicable.

The idea is when you retrieve, you are able to understand things without going deep or spending time.

This might involve creating summaries, outlines, or other representations that facilitate understanding and quick reference.

You can use Bold, Italics, or Underline for clearly highlighting the distilled information.

How I do it?

I try and write a progressive summary at the top of the page.

Whenever I come to the page, I just read the summary to get the hang of the information that the page has.

Afterthought

Technology is not just a storage medium but a tool for thinking. It’s like a bicycle to the mind.

Till now, I have been thinking about this metaphor used by Steve Jobs, but never really felt it myself using the technology.

Using a second brain made me realise that technology is really a bicycle for the mind.

I have been building this second brain for 40 plus days, and I have never been feeling so much in control of my life.

The FOMO has disappeared.

I highly advise all creative people to have a second brain.

Well, that's a wrap for today. Tomorrow, I'll have a fresh episode of TechTonic Shifts for you. If you enjoy my writing and want to support my work, feel free to buy me a coffee ??

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Signing off - Marco

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