Tips for your Second Brain

A few tips that helped me as I built my own personal knowledge management system — or “a second brain.”

• Productivity is just emotional regulation — Find opportunities to find delight in whatever system you build. All systems should optimize for delight and minimize dread as first-class priorities.

• Make your notes discoverable — Yes, your notes need good SEO too! A writer asks: “In which circumstances will I want to stumble upon this note?” Leave hints and breadcrumbs for your future self to locate the right note at the right time to inspire the right action.

• Note-making > note-taking — Practice the generative art of synthesizing your captured notes to create your own narratives. Do this regularly.

• Allow for emergent structure — Let a structure organically emerge bottom-up, rather than imposing an a priori ideology top-down.

• Gall's Law — “A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked.” Don't try to build Rome in a day. Start small and simple and allow complexity to naturally accrue over time.