Hey everyone!
A few months ago I stumbled across this article on How to Create Idea Babies, which led me down the rabbit hole of figuring out how our brain learns and retains information.
This was how I came across the concept of Building a Second Brain.
This article by Tiago Forte sold me on it. Here’s how he describes it.
How many brilliant ideas have you had and forgotten? How many insights have you failed to take action on? How much useful advice have you slowly forgotten as the years have passed?
We feel a constant pressure to be learning, improving ourselves, and making progress. We spend countless hours every year reading, listening, and watching informational content. And yet, where has all that valuable knowledge gone? Where is it when we need it? Our brain can only store a few thoughts at any one time. Our brain is for having ideas, not storing them.
Building A Second Brain is a methodology for saving and systematically reminding us of the ideas, inspirations, insights, and connections we’ve gained through our experience. It expands our memory and our intellect using the modern tools of technology and networks.
You see, over the last few years you’ve probably read tons of books, listened to a bunch of podcasts, and consumed a massive amount of valuable content, but how much of it can you actually remember?
I can probably recall about 1% of what I’ve read. If that! So, the concept of having and building a Second Brain was mind-blowing to me 🙂
Since discovering the idea, I’ve put it into practice. All my note-taking is now done directly in Apple Notes, alongside any thoughts or ideas I have throughout the day.
For example, if I read something that resonates with me while reading a book on my iPad, I’ll save it directly in Apple Notes and leave a few thoughts fleshing out the idea. These then become fodder for future videos and artlces. Plus, they sit in my Second Brain where they can be linked with other ideas I’ve had before and new ideas I have in the future.
It’s a constantly developing framework of what I’ve learnt, the thoughts I’ve had, and the ideas that excite me.
I’m pretty new to this Second Brain stuff but it’s already made my content consumption far more intentional and it’s changed the way I organise my life.
I’ll definitely share more as I expand my own system and use-cases, but if this sounds up your street, I’d recommend giving it a go – I made a video on how to begin building your very own second brain on my channel if you’re interested.
Enjoy your week!
Gareth
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To Rush is to Try to Compress Time
A lot of people seem to be rushing incessantly through each moment, longing for the current thing to be done so the next thing can begin. A life defined by chronic cognitive and muscular tension that result from habitually living as if ever so slightly in the future, existing within a simulation of the next moment rather than a deep experiencing of this moment right now.
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