# Building a Second Brain > A proven method to organize your digital life and unlock your creative > potential. For the bonus chapter on [[tagging]], visit [buildingasecondbrain.com/bonuschapter](https://buildingasecondbrain.com/bonuschapter). For the notes app recommendation, visit [buildingasecondbrain.com/resources](https://buildingasecondbrain.com/resources). Total time spent: 14 hours and 38 minutes. ## Verdict _Personal Knowledge Management_ system goes by a lot of different names nowadays, one of which is the _Second Brain_ coined by Tiago Forte in _Building a Second Brain_. From this book the ==CODE workflow for approaching PKM== and ==[[para|PARA]] system for organizing notes and documents== are now perversive among the productivity and helped me kick start my own system. The main ideas inside _Building a Second Brain_ can be understood within 5 minutes, but the book is still WORTH reading thoroughly, as it provides other juicy insights and examples, especially if you're a fan of productivity. Adopting these methodologies and philosophies literally _SHIFTED_ my attitude toward Internet, information, note staking, and even my daily life as whole. The [YouTube channel of Tiago Forte](https://youtube.com/@TiagoForte) is also a wonderful resource to go to for information on PKM. ## Why we need a Second Brain? > [!tip] Send information to our future self > > To be able to make use of information we value, we need a way to package it up > and send it through time to our future self. Artists and intellectuals from ancient time use their _Commonplace Books_ to record information, so that _reading and writing were therefore inseparable activities._ (_The Case of Books_ by Robert Darnton) Second Brain is a digital version of commonplace book. > [!warning] Human brains are unreliable > > Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. -- David Allen, author of > _[[getting-things-done| Getting Things Done]]_ > > Those who continue to rely on their fragile biological brains will become ever > more overwhelmed by the explosive growth in the complexity of our lives. - The power of a Second Brain: - Making out ideas concrete. - revealing new associations between ideas. - Incubating our ideas over time. - Sharpening out unique perspectives. ## Main ideas > [!tip] CODE Method > > - **C**apture -- keep what resonates > - **O**rganize -- Save for actionability > - **D**istill -- Find the essence > - **E**xpress -- Show your work > [!caution] Give your future self a note > > Think of yourself not just as a _taker_ of notes, but as a _giver_ of notes -- > you are giving your future self the gift of knowledge that is easy to find and > understand. ## Capture Have ==12 favorite problems== to start with! They should be open-ended questions, and may change over time. These serve as triggers for your capturing process. > [!quote] Your favorite problems > > You have to keep a dozen of your favorite problems constantly present in your > mind, although by and large they will lay in a dormant state. Every time you > hear or read a new trick or a new result, test it against each of your twelve > problems to see whether it helps. Every once in a while there will be a hit, > and people will say, "How did he do it? He must be a genius!" -- Richard > Feynman > [!caution] Avoid capturing to much > > ... Take on a Curator's Perspective -- that we are the judges, editors, and > interpreters of the information we choose to let into our lives. > > Ultimately, capture what **resonates**. > [!tip] Capture Criteria > > - Does it inspire me? > - Is it useful? > - Is it personal? > - Is it surprising ## Organize > [!summary] PARA system for organizing > > - **P**rojects: Short-term efforts in your work or life that you're working on > now. > - **A**reas: Longer-term responsibilities you want to manage over time. > - **R**esources: Topics or interests that may be useful in the future. > - **A**rchives: Inactive items from the other three categories ``` // TO PLACE A NOTE In which project will this be most useful? If none: In which area will this be most useful? If none: Which resource does this belong to? If none: Place in archives. ``` > Always place a note or file not only where it will be useful, but where it > will be useful the _soonest_. > Instead of organizing ideas according to _where they come from_, organize them > according to _where they are going_ -- specifically, the outcomes that they > can help you realize. ## Distill > [!quote] 为道日损 > > To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things > every day. -- Lao Thu, ancient Chinese philosopher > Note taking is like time travel -- you are sending packets of knowledge > through time to your future self. > > The most important factor in whether your notes can survive that journey into > the future is their _discoverability_ -- how easy it is to discover what they > contain and access the specific points that are most immediately useful. > The Progressive Summarization Technique: you highlight the main points of a > note, and them highlight the main points of _those highlights_, and so on, > distilling the essence of a note in several "layers." Each of these layers > uses a different kind of formatting so you can easily tell the apart. > [!bug] Three Common Mistakes of Novice Notetakers > > - Over-Highlighting > - Highlighting Without a Purpose in Mind > - Making Highlighting Difficult ## Express > [!quote] The purpose of knowledge is to be shared > > An idea wants to be shared. And, in the sharing, it becomes more complex, more > interesting, and more likely to work for more people. -- Adrienne Maree Brown, > writer and activist > > Your singular perspective may patch some small hole in the vast tattered > fabric of humanity. -- _The Bullet Journal Method_, Ryder Carroll > [!abstract] Three stages of Personal Knowledge Management > > - Remembering > - Connecting > - Creating - _Intermediate Packets_: Each small note is a building block of new projects; a big project can be divided into multiple small Intermediate Packets. - Divergence and Convergence stages of creativity. - _Archipelago of Ideas_: divergently gather a group of ideas, then switch into convergence mode and link them together. - _Hemingway Bridge_: don't finish today's work all at once, reserve momentum for next session. -- ==_End with beginning in mind._== - Write down ideas for next steps. - Write down the current status. - Write down any details you have in mind that are likely to be forgotten once you step away. - Write out your intention for the next work session. - _Dial Down the Scope_: drop or reduce or postpone the lease important parts. > [!tip] Ship small and concrete works > > Whatever you are building, there is a smaller, simpler version of it that > would deliver much of the value in a fraction of the time. ## Quotes > [!tip] Everything is note > > If a piece of content has been interpreted through your lens, curated > according to your taste, translated into your own words, or drawn from your > life experience, and stored in a secure place, then it qualifies as a note. > > For modern, professional note taking, a note is a "knowledge building block" > -- a discrete unit of information interpreted through your unique perspective > and stored outside your head. > It is about optimizing a _system outside yourself_, a system not subject to > your limitations and constraints, leaving you happily in optimized and free to > roam, to wonder, to _wander_ toward whatever you feel alive here and now in > each moment. > Every change in how we use technology also requires a change in how we think. > Your Second Brain becomes like a mirror, teaching you about yourself and > reflecting back to you the ideas worth keeping and acting on. > In reality, you are just planting seeds of inspiration and harvesting them as > they flower. > [!quote] It's about info! > > Our attitude toward information profoundly shapes how we see and understand > the world and our place in it. Our success in the workforce depends on our > ability to make use of information more effectively and to think better, > smarter, faster. > [!quote] No need of FOMO > > All we need is ==a few seeds of wisdom==, and the seeds we most need tend to > continually find us again and again. You don't need to go out and hunt down > insights. All you have to do is listen to what life is repeatedly trying to > tell you. > [!tip] Chase what excites you > > If I could leave you with one last bit of advice, it is to chase what excites > you. When you are captivated and obsessed by a story, an idea, or a new > possibility, don't just let that moment pass as if it doesn't matter. Those > are the moments that are truly precious, and that no technology can produce > for you. Run after your obsessions with everything you have. ## Tagging > [!tip] Tagging should facilitate effective action, not just abstract thought. > -- Tiago Forte Tags were used to help retrieve info when computers were not > powerful enough. Nowadays, each single word can be indexed, thus ==tags should > be used for things that can't be directly searched.== - Create tags based on **action** instead of classification. 1. Tags for use cases. - How will the notes be used? - **Kind of information**, e.g., `#source`, `#evidence`, `#slides`, `#theories`, `#frameworks`, `#claim`, `#counterpoint`, `#question`. - **Final product**, e.g., `#presentation`, `#essay`, `#report`, `#website`, `#project-plan`, `#meeting-agenda`, `#budget`. - e.g., `#c` for characters in story, `#l` for locations, `#o` for object, `#s` for situation, `#a` for act, `#t` for theme. 2. Tags for tracking the progress. - How are the notes currently being used? - **Role in a project**, e.g., `#meeting-notes`, `#timeline`, `#budget`, `#decision`, `#action`, `#idea`, or `#objective`. - **Current stage**, e.g., `#planned`, `#in-process`, `#waiting-for-approval`, `#reviewed`, `#approved`, `#on-hold`, or `#finished` 3. Tag notes retroactively and only as needed. (How have the notes been used?)