My Second Brain

How do you take in all the information coming at you a million miles a minute?

From the news to social media, it’s a bombardment on our time and it isn’t getting any leaner.?Information is more precious than gold and we need to harbor the pieces of it that we can capitalize on while discarding the pieces useless.?

Information is the most valuable commodity in the world today, yet many still do not harbor its power with the available tools.

In a previous article I wrote about turning information into action, but today I would like to discuss ways to actually keep the information that matters so you can retrieve it any time you want.?

I remember the first time someone brought an ipad into a meeting. I was much younger in my career and I remember thinking, "That's aggressive". Afterward, the geek in me wanted to know what the reason for using it was, I mean, my little green notebook was just as effective, right?

Imagine for a moment that you are in a meeting or with your team and a question comes up. How often do you see people writing a note down to get the answer later? How often does a decision hinge on finding that piece of information? With the power of technology, you can quickly find just about anything in a few short seconds.

To this day I still receive a few looks when I sit down, typing away at my ipad. What they are missing is that I have leveraged the power of information in a way that gives me an advantage. I can quickly search through thousands of notes, I have a hub for my thoughts and ideas and an ecosystem that syncs across all devices.

How many useless emails have been saved by being able to look up the regulation on the spot?

This may seem commonplace for some reading this, but if not, I encourage you to think about ways you can harness technology to expand that limited hard drive in your head.

Here are three options for your second brain:?

1. Apple Notes - Yep, I said it. Simple, but effective. I’m even writing this current article on this application while cruising at 36,000 feet on my way to Texas. It may be simple, but if you have apple products, it’s a staple in the ecosystem.?
2. Evernote - I chose this over One Note about 10 years ago. I can’t tell you exactly why, but I just liked it better. Plus, more money to Microsoft? No thanks. Evernote is now mainly used to scan in documents and receipts as well as to manage a few of my side gigs (through their Notebook stacks). The Evernote web clipper is actually a really great tool if you are conducting research on a project. You hit a button and its dropped into your notebook in a flash. Another feature worth noting is the fact you get an “email” where you can forward other emails right into an Evernote notebook.?
3. Notion - This has become my overall second brain. It’s an open space to build what you want. A canvas where you can setup complex to do lists or just tag simple notes, Notion has it all.?My journal, my goals, my articles....my nervous system.

Look, I still love the power of the pen. The way it feels to jot something down (even with my insane chicken scratch). However, having all your information at your fingertips gives you and your team an advantage that a notepad has a hard time overcoming.

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AJ

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