Do you think one brain is enough? Let me prove you wrong.

Do you think one brain is enough for us to have? What if I tell you that having a second, digital brain would be a great idea? You probably would find me crazy, or reading too much science-fiction…

However, this is a real concept. Building a Second Brain is a relatively new book by Tiago Forte to explain how to harness the power of digital note taking to build more and more knowledge in our lives.

Information has always been one of my main areas of interest in life. I was always amazed by how much we can know, but even more of how much we don’t know. 

But for some years I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with so much information and how to keep it all in my mind, which generated A LOT of anxiety. That was when I first came across Bullet Journal. I saw on the method a possibility to keep record of my thoughts and information as well as plan my days ahead.

And going more and more into the field of organization and productivity, this year I found this concept of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), and it absolutely blew my mind! It was what I was looking for! And with this I encountered The Second Brain.

The Second Brain is a trusted source of all the knowledge you have acquired over the days, weeks, months and years that you are taking notes. You know that famous restaurant that a colleague recommended you in another city, but when you are actually in the city, you can’t remember the name? Or all the sticky notes you keep all over so you don’t forget stuff (but never find them when you need), or when you keep saying to yourself that you will remember that, but of course you just forget it after a while? Well, these, and other more complex issues, can be solved by a Second Brain.

You first need to pick a note taking app. You could do it on a notebook too, but the benefit of an app is that you can search for the information much easier. With your app of choice, you start to take note of what you encounter that you don’t want to forget, places you’ve been, recommendations you received, medications you have been taking through the years, reference for that living room renovation that you are planning to do, etc. 

Then you start organizing them the way you see fit. The book brings the PARA Method, which stands for Projects, Areas, Resources and Archive. In my Second Brain I use one folder for each topic that I’m interested in or project that I am undertaking at the moment, and one for archive notes that are not in use at the moment. I haven’t found a use for resources yet. 

And when taking notes, always remember the important principle: CODE. Collect, Organize, Distill and Express. You first collect what comes your way, then once in a while (during a weekly review, for example) you organize the notes in their respective places. After that, as you come back to your notes when they are needed, you distill the information to its essence, only keeping the most important parts. And to finalize, you use your notes to express yourself. After all, knowledge is not meant to be kept locked away.

If you are interested in these ideas, take a look at YouTube. You will find lots of examples of Second Brains. But two important tips: remember to make what matches your needs and be sure that this is a dynamic and almost living piece of work, you will never reach an end to it.

Let me know in the comments if you have already heard about this concept and what do you think about it. I would love to exchange some ideas with you!