Book Review – BUILDING A SECOND BRAIN by Tiago Forte

Synopsis For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough.

Now, this eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. As a trusted and organized digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes, and creative work synced across all your devices and platforms, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals.

Discover the full potential of your ideas and translate what you know into more powerful, more meaningful improvements in your work and life by Building a Second Brain.

My Review To say this book was life changing, would be an understatement. If only with this book had been written ten years ago! Of course, the note taking tools of ten years ago didn’t lend themselves to this method as well as modern tools do, but I would’ve found a way to make it work. For my entire adult life, I’ve tried and failed to find a system that works for me. A way for me to create what I called a personal knowledgebase that covered all aspects of my life, but what Tiago Forte calls a Second Brain. I had a system I used in the 90s in Microsoft Outlook. I created “contacts” with various notes and information I wanted to be able to easily access, then peppered it with keywords to search on. But as one job led to another and another, I lost that repository. I’ve used folders, notebooks, and even invested in The Paper Tiger, a method that relied on search terms and tags to find information, but everything ultimately left me feeling more frustrated than helped.

Enter Evernote, Notion, and similar apps. I discovered Notion before I discovered this book. I began using it to store information I had once stored in Microsoft OneNote, due do the markdown language capabilities and robust database support. As I learned how to use Notion, I stumbled upon Thomas Frank. He’s not only a Notion guru, but a Second Brain evangelist. I bought Tiago Forte’s book shortly after watching Frank’s first video. But as I read the book, the more I realized that Notion wasn’t really the right tool for me. The ability to create a folder structure and areas the way my brain works, was hindered by the complexity of Notion. That was the opposite of what I needed.

When I finished Forte’s book, I simultaneously stumbled upon a post on Medium about another note-taking app called Nimbus Note. I did the free two week trial, and by the end of the first day, I knew that Nimbus more closely aligns with how I personally took the lessons from Forte’s book and applied them to my life. Since then, I’ve become more organized, more resourceful, and more importantly as an author, more creative! Being able to spend more time brainstorming and less time digging through my notes has added a level of focus I didn’t know I was capable of.

I loved this book so much, I bought a paperback copy for my husband and he’s adopting these techniques as well!

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About the Author Tiago Forte is one of the world’s foremost experts on productivity and has taught thousands of people around the world how timeless principles and the latest technology can revolutionize their productivity, creativity, and personal effectiveness. He has worked with organizations such as Genentech, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the Inter-American Development Bank, and appeared in a variety of publications, such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review. Find out more at Fortelabs.com.

Book Review – BUILDING A SECOND BRAIN by Tiago Forte

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