Useful Tools – Second Brains

There are several note taking apps which are very good to help use record and use information. The two that I use are Notion and Evernote. I use to use only Evernote. But, I started to use Notion for keeping track of information because it allows cross-references by using the @ sign and linking another page. So for example if you are taking notes on Hacking APIs and want to reference another page about HTTP response codes (say @HTTPRespo) or Broken Objects, this will build a body of information. Later you can look through your reference and also search for a term or word.

The second useful tool is active reading. Active reading as I understand it is reading a book and underlining important points and information and data, as well as, adding notes. The full process is to read the whole book and then let it bake in your brain. Then weeks later, go back and write out the notes. Some people, such as Ryan Holiday, will write his notes on index cards. A lot of those information cards ends up in the books he writes. I not use Notion and add the notes there so I can cross reference the notes into a board searchable structure.

I find by using the Notion app and the process of active reading, I can find and use information better. This is easier than trying to recall every detail, search through notebooks, and remember which folder I saved a document into. And overall these things builds good habits and reduces stress.

Of course everyone processes information differently. It is better to find what works best for you.