From Overwhelmed to Organized: The Power of a “Second Brain”

There is rapid change taking place in the world around us. In addition to managing our work, families, and health we are bombarded with information 24/7.

In this article, we will explore the concept of a “Second Brain” to help simplify and improve how you process and organise information throughout your life.

I have found this technique to be hugely helpful and impactful in my life, not the least because it helps me sleep at night by not having to remember everything myself.

The “Second Brain”

Thiago Forte is a Brazilian entrepreneur who is known for publicising the concept of the “Second Brain“. According to Forte, the Second Brain is a metaphor for the collection of tools and systems that we use to manage our lives and work. These tools include calendars, to-do lists, note-taking apps and project management software.

Fortes believes that using these tools effectively is essential for productivity and success. In his book “Building a Second Brain,” he writes: “It is what allows you to have a clear head, to focus on the things that matter, and to achieve your goals.”

Tools

There are many different tools that can be used as part of a Second Brain, and the right ones will depend on an individual’s specific needs and preferences. Some common tools that people use as part of their second brain include:

1. Note-taking apps like Notion, Evernote, Obsidian, Apple Notes and OneNote allow users to take notes, snip websites and articles, and provide a system to organize their activities and information.
2. To-do lists are a simple but effective way to keep track of tasks that need to be completed. There are many different to-do list apps available, including Google Tasks, and Todoist.
3. Project management software like Asana and Trello can be used to organize and track progress on projects and tasks.
4. Habit Tracking apps like Streaks, Habitify and Coach.me can be used to track your daily habits and help you make changes to your life.

Fortes recommends developing a system that works for you and sticking with it. He advises setting aside regular time to review and update your Second Brain and being consistent in your use of these tools. This will allow you to build a large set of personally important information which can be put to greater use in the future.

As new apps are being released constantly, one pitfall common in the productivity space is always trying to use the newest and greatest tool. I would recommend sticking with one toolset for at least 2-3 years at a time.

Ultimate Brain – Notion

I started my second brain journey when I came across Thomas Frank on YouTube. He creates a lot of content around productivity and has developed a complete Second Brain system in Notion called Ultimate Brain.

Despite using Notion occasionally for note-taking, I was not utilizing its full potential. The Ultimate Brain template from Thomas Frank has a complete setup including note-taking, to-do lists, PARA filing system and many other functions. There are step-by-step instructions on each page explaining both the theory and how to use the template.

My experience with the Ultimate Brain

Since I began using Ultimate Brain in Notion, I have discovered several key benefits:

• Integrated notes, to-do lists, planners, habit tracking, and general data tracking (health, etc.) in one tool. For me, this was previously spread across 6-7 different places.
• In a matter of seconds, I can capture key tasks and ideas using the notion widget on my mobile. This is something I use ALL the time.
• I can easily plan my day because all my work and personal tasks are in one place
• All my notes live in this system and using the PARA filing system I am able to easily categorise and sort all the various data, projects and notes in my life.

Although I have benefitted massively from using this new tool there are a couple of limitations to be aware of:

• There is no offline functionality for Notion. If there is no signal, for example on a train, the database cannot be accessed.
• I occasionally have to spend 2-3 minutes trying to find a note in Notion because its search function is not very robust.

I would note that Notion is being updated and improved all the time. I am also excited to learn about their new AI tools which have recently been integrated.

Why wait?

The internet has given everyone unlimited access to information. In an instant, we can access almost every book or piece of music ever written. We can learn from the world’s greatest teachers on any topic through articles, blogs or youtube videos. We live in a truly amazing time.

The Second Brain concept can help you to achieve so much more by tapping into this ocean of data, organising your life and giving peace of mind that you have not “forgotten to do something”.

As a starting point, take a look at the work of Thiago Forte and Thomas Frank. You can start with just a few areas of your life, work or personal, but I am sure once you start you will quickly see the benefits and convert to using these techniques to improve your life.

As always, I am fascinated to hear your stories on the subject so please comment below. If you want to be kept up to date with my latest articles then subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Linkedin and Twitter.

This article was written with assistance from:

• ChatGPT
• WordTune
• Grammarly
• Notion