Build a second brain and live like a super human
Imagine if there was a way that you could download your brain into a computer, and then update the system regularly as you learn and experience life. Sounds like science fiction right? What if there was an organised database that held everything that you ever wanted to remember, and was accessible in the blink of an eye? Sound too good to be true? Sound expensive?
I’ve recently discovered a system that makes all of this possible - and the best part…it’s totally free!
All you need is a smartphone.
A few months ago, I was working on a project, and trying to figure out a way of explaining the different ways that individuals learn. Whilst diving around the internet, I remembered a book that I read a few years ago about NLP, which delved into the subject at great length. I knew that I’d written notes on the book in a little red notebook…and that it was 16 miles away on a bookshelf in my dining room!
It’s so frustrating when you know that you’ve taken the time to prepare and organise something for future reference, but your system is sporadic, and the information is only available at certain locations.
We live in an age where information is abundant. The internet has made it possible to access almost anything, but information is only as useful if it is organised, processed and available in a format conducive to progress.
The notes that I’d taken on the NLP book, had been processed and condensed into a short form that made sense to me. The information had been taken from a 378 page book, and distilled into a 4 page set of notes that resonated with me, and prompted my brain to remember the concepts that I considered important or useful.
Therefore, the notebook was infinitely more valuable to me than any other information that I could search for online.
This got me thinking about all the times that I’d been in a similar position. Access to the internet via smartphones is undoubtedly useful, but what would it look like if I had access to all of MY information? I started to look through all of the productivity apps on my iPhone, and although there were many that I use effectively on a daily basis, none of them seemed to tick all the boxes.
I began toying with ideas for a system that:
Stored all of my notes, and made them easily accessible.
Allowed me to set reminders that didn’t require a notification to actually remind me about tasks.
Acted as an extension of my own brain, and stored internal information - as opposed to the external information that you find on the internet.
The system would need to be configured in a way that would make it accessible at any time, in any location, and organised so that the information would be easy to find and update.
This is the point where I started to read about the idea of creating a “second brain”.
It didn’t take me long to discover Obsidian, and to find countless examples of huge networks that people have built - linking information in their brains, and creating connections that can be navigated with a simply search tool.
I soon fell in love with Obsidian, and became a devoted user for months. I input as much data as possible, knowing that every time I created a new note - I was literally adding to the size and value of my second brain. The map of connections grew and grew, and I regularly marvelled at the ‘open graph view’, which shows all of the connections you’ve made on an interactive celestial map…but I kept coming up against problems. The user interface didn’t resonate with me, and as much as it all looked beautiful - actually finding information wasn’t as easy as I’d first anticipated. The ‘Zettelkasten Method’ of organising information sounded fantastic, but in reality - it wasn’t useful to me on a daily basis.
I needed something more “user friendly”. Something that gelled with the way that I think.
This is when I discovered "The PARA Method”, which was created by Tiago Forte.
Instead of focusing on creating connections between notes, and using links to flick between ideas - the PARA method is all about setting up folders for each part of your life, and organising them in a way that makes any note instantly accessible.
As simple as it may sound, this system is by far my favourite, and the power it wields is truly impressive.
After researching the method, I came up with my own spin on the system, and now use it every day to organise every area of my life.
Having a second brain is one of the most valuable decisions I’ve ever made.
So, how does it work?
Pick your platform
First of all, you need to choose a note taking software that resonates with you. I’ve tested the system on:
Obsidian
Apple Notes
Evernote
Notion
Microsoft One note
Each have their own pros and cons, but I eventually settled on Apple Notes.
Being an IOS user means that I can access my second brain from my phone, tablet, laptop and desktop computer. Synchronisation is seamless, and I find that performing tasks such as adding photos or writing with an apple pencil are much more streamlined in Apple Notes.
This is purely down to personal preference, so it’s a good idea to play with a few apps and see what works best for you.
Setting up your “homepage”
Once you’ve chosen your platform, you create 5 folders:
Inbox (Notes on IOS)
Projects
Areas
Resources
Archive
These will be the bedrock of your system, and should be the only thing you see on your homepage.
Using your Inbox
Your Inbox is the place where you take notes throughout the day. Each time something happens that you want to remember, you make a new note in your Inbox. This could be filled with literally anything.
These are the notes currently in my Inbox:
The Art of Focus - Dan Koe (notes from the book I’m currently reading).
Instagram post ideas (a list of post ideas that I’ve added to when ideas come up).
Fix hole in wall (I found a small hole on the outside wall of my house. The note includes a photo of the hole and a reminder to buy some filler).
Change gas provider (a photo of an energy bill from my current provider, and a note about a new one that a friend told me about).
Bunnyman - Johnny Depp (a photo of a painting that I recently found in a gallery that I liked).
Rum suggestions (a photo of a hand written list of Rums that a friend told me about the other day).
Receipts from o2 (photos of all my receipts after an afternoon in the o2 arena).
New school docs (links to a set of forms that I need to fill out. The note includes the date that they need to be completed by, and a screenshot of the accompanying email).
Once you’ve started using your inbox, you need to decide on how you’re going to process the information. You could choose to “empty” your inbox once a week on a designated day, you could run through it on a daily basis, or you could deal with it once you reach a maximum number of notes (5 for example). Do whatever works for you, but the idea is to go through the notes, and process each one in a way that is going to give you the most value.
Using the example of my inbox above, I processed each note in the following way:
The Art of Focus - Dan Koe - I created a folder inside ‘Resources’ called ‘Learning’, and then inside that folder I made another called ‘Books’. This is where I will keep notes from all the books I read.
Instagram post ideas - Once I’d weeded through the ideas and deleted those that I didn’t find useful, I posted on Instagram, and then created a new folder inside ‘Projects’ called ‘Instagram’. This will be the destination for future notes like this.
Fix hole in wall - Once I’d fixed the hole, I created a folder inside ‘Areas’ called ‘House’. I then made another folder inside ‘house’ called ‘DIY’, and then another inside ‘DIY’ called ‘Jobs Completed’. I added this note to ‘Jobs Completed’, in case the hole worsened, but I could have simply deleted the note once the job was done.
Change gas provider - After choosing a new energy provider, I created a new file in ‘Home’ called ‘Utilities’. I then created a file in ‘Utilities’ called ‘Energy Provider’, and made a new note listing all the important details of the new provider.
Bunnyman - Johnny Depp - I created a file inside ‘Resources’ called ‘Art’, and then another inside ‘Art’ called ‘Johnny Depp’. I added the photo to the ‘Johnny Depp’ folder, and downloaded a few more of his paintings that I like, and then added them to the folder.
Rum suggestions - In the ‘Resources’ folder, I made a new folder called ‘Suggestions’ and added this note.
Receipts from o2 - In ‘Areas’ I made a new folder called ‘Receipts’, and changed the name of the note to simply ‘O2’. Each time I get a receipt, I can now take a photo and add it to this folder
New school docs - Once I’d filled out the forms, I created a folder in ‘Areas’ called ‘School’, and then another one inside called ‘Docs’. I took screenshots of the forms and added them along with a screenshot of the confirmation email I recieved.
Once your Inbox is empty, you can populate any of your folders as and when you like. The important thing is to keep your Inbox as empty as possible, and to only move notes out of the Inbox once you’ve processed them effectively.
Projects
Your projects folder should contain anything that you’re currently working on. It should be as useful as possible, and only contain information that is relevant to each project.
This is the only folder that needs to be regularly audited, and once a project is complete - you can either delete the folder (and all of its contents) or archive it.
Area
This is where you keep notes with information pertaining to individual areas of your life. You can have as many different areas as you want, but keep in mind that the folders should be as minimal as possible (at the first level). You want to be able to find your information as quickly as possible.
In my ‘Areas’ folder I have the following:
Passwords
Kids
Goals
Lists
Mind Dump
People
Work
Marriage
House
Receipts
Hobbies
Fitness
Family/Friends
Finances
The list of folders will continue to grow and evolve as time passes, but each one encompasses everything I want to add to my second brain that relates to that area of my life.
Resources
This is probably my favourite folder, and the one that I add to most frequently. In it I keep any information that I think might be useful to me in the future. It’s full of ideas, things I’ve seen, heard about or read about. Podcasts I’ve listened to, videos I’ve watched. It’s basically my own personal library, that’s organised in a way that’s optimised to information retrieval.
I regularly refer back to a book I read a few years ago, or add new words that I’ve learned (next to their definition). Sometimes I’ll simply add a screenshot of an idea that made me think, or a photo of a page in a book I’m reading.
The thing that makes this section so powerful is that everything inside it has been processed by you at some point. The internet is there for referencing anything you want to learn about, but the information in your ‘Resources’ folder has all been processed by your brain, and whittled down into your own language and way of understand it.
Archive
This folder is where you move anything that you no longer need, but don’t want to get rid of. People used to say that you should keep your bank statements and bills for 6 years before throwing them out. We may no longer use physical bank statements in the same way, but the same rule can go for anything in your second brain.
Once a note or folder is no longer useful to you - move it to your archive, and then you can periodically delete things that are truly useless.
So that’s the system I use to create a second brain. I hope you can see the potential power that it has to improve your life. I’ve been using this system for 2 months, and I don’t know how I ever functioned before I discovered it!
As technology improves and AI is used more and more in every day life - this system may evolve into something even more efficient, but for now - this is the single most useful tool that I’ve found to organise and add to the way I live my life.
I’d love to hear about your perspective on the idea of having a second brain, so feel free to comment below and give your opinion.
