Over the past month I have been participating in a course by Tiago Forte called Building A Second Brain. This course teaches you how to take in, and store information in order to become a human resource. The goal is to step away from the limited thinking of compartmentalization, and the chaos of streams of information, in order to find a balance of maintaining your knowledge and experience in a way that makes it an effective resources for any situation you may encounter. So, in this blog post, I will be demonstrating to you how this “second brain” has changed my approach, strengthened me, and prepared me for working with you, at your company. Let’s dive in!
The five virtues of a second brain…
Idea Capture.
Knowledge Retention.
Information Storage.
Project Management.
Content Creation.
These are the five main things that I covered through this course. I’m going to give you a picture of how my approach to work, and effectiveness, has changed as a result of growing in these specific areas. Let’s take it from the top…
Idea Capture.
This virtue, essentially, consists of how we take in information and store it for later. Most people, including me, just don’t have the diligence to remember to write down every mental note, or record every experience. Before I took this course I relied on Post-It notes for idea capture. I would actually collect hundreds of these sticky notes, and I would tape them up on my wall. I still do this sometimes, but not with every kind of note. I did it because I loved the feeling of actually searching for an idea or concept in front of me. I would just turn to my Post-It’s and look for the notes I had made on any given subject. I really did this, and it actually worked better than it sounds like it would.
However, the main flaw of my Post-It wall was exactly that. When I needed the information, I had to be standing there in front of that specific note in order to utilize it. So, it was definitely not effective enough. I needed to adapt to something that could be used, added to, and implemented from remote locations.
So, how exactly has building a second brain helped me transition to a more effective system?
Well, I don’t carry a portable Post-It wall. Instead, I have this endless, digital library. Every time I have an experience, take in important information, or see something that sparks inspiration, I immediately take a photo of it or make a note about it. Then I make sure that the note is stored somewhere that I can easily access it when I want to return to it. Now that I have a second brain, it’s not necessary to rely on my mortal memory, I can rely on something better, and I can use it from any place, at any time.
Knowledge Retention.
Have you ever had a question you wanted to ask, but you waited to voice it and you just forgot it all together? Have you ever been asked a question, one that you know you’ve heard the answer to, but you just can’t remember? Have you ever been asked for information, and it’s just out of reach in your memory? I have faced these problems many times, and I have always found them to be extremely frustrating. I learned something a while ago… It doesn’t matter what you know, or have known. What matters is what you remember, and what you can communicate or share with others.
You could be the smartest person on planet Earth, but if you don’t keep track of what you know, and store all of that information somewhere, what good is it?
Building A Second Brain has taught me how to store my knowledge, and do it in a way that will be easy to navigate. Nowadays, if I have a question, I write it down. If I have something to say, I make sure I remember to say it. If I find information that could be useful to someone, I make sure to keep track of it. My second brain gives me the ability to think about everything constantly. Or at least, it gives me the same result as I would get from being able to think of everything constantly. I don’t have to remember everything I know, because I know where the information is stored, and how to retrieve it.
Information Storage.
This one is pretty similar to the previous two, with one small distinction: it includes information that I don’t even see the relevancy for yet. It is just pure, raw information storage. How many people do you know who can say that they keep information in order to benefit others? I doubt that there are a lot, if there are any at all. Well, I do. I keep track of the information that I encounter on a myriad of subjects whether they particularly interest me or not. I do this for two main reasons:
I never want to be faced with a topic that I cannot carry a conversation on.
I want to be prepared to assist anyone who asks me for a resource on anything.
The information storage skill is something that I think is necessary in pretty much every position that involves working with other people or with data of any kind.
Project Management.
Throughout the process of building a second brain, I have improved my capability to manage my project load well. The strategy that I have implemented most of all to help in this area is creating meta plans. Essentially, whenever I have a project, I take the time to ask what the process is going to look like. I plan out my projects. I identify the most challenging tasks, any obstacles, any needs, ideas, or resources. I make sure that I know why I am working on a project, and what I want the results to be, as well as identifying the most productive path. I use my second brain to manage my projects and my ideas, and it enables me to be unusually organized when it comes to creative tasks. I truly believe that I am a more effective worker because I can manage my projects independently, and successfully.
Content Creation.
There are two ways that I use my second brain for content creation:
I store all of my ideas in an organized manner so that whenever I am handed a project, I already have a place to start. I never let myself be left without some spark of inspiration, or flicker of idea. I like to call my second brain my launch pad. The way I see it, I will already be one step ahead when I start working on any project, because I use my second brain to keep my ideas in a constant flow.
I use my second brain to store links to all of my previous work. Absolutely anything I could be asked to present, I can access through my second brain. This is useful because content can, and should be, recycled sometimes. It isn’t always that you need to create something totally new. Sometimes you can look at something you’ve already done and find a new perspective, or string to pull on.
What does it matter?
Well, take a good look at the abilities listed above. Those aren’t just capabilities of mine, they are second nature to me. I am a walking resource. You can pick my brain on any topic, and I will have something of value to share with you. If you don’t believe me, then challenge me. Head over to the Contact Me page on this website, and ask me about anything. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with my ability to find, and create, value in a way that stands out from everyone.