(2019-06-11) Forte The Story Behind Building A Second Brain

Tiago Forte: The Story Behind Building a Second Brain. I first started taking notes on a computer at the age of 22, when I came down with a mysterious illness in college

I began to seriously think about the potential of digital notes to improve people’s health, whether they are sick or just need better self-care

my first “real” job at a boutique consulting firm

In an effort to keep my head above water, and to document the immense amount of learning I was expected to take on, I again turned to digital notes (NoteBook)

The consultancy is essentially being paid by their clients to learn about cutting-edge new trends, such as machine learning, big data, gamification, online marketplaces, or chatbots. This learning is inevitably time-consuming and messy, but once the analysts have been through that difficult learning process, the company can turn around and convert that knowledge into all kinds of other formats like workshops, talks, panels, conferences, social media posts, and white papers. I began to see my growing collection of notes not just as a professional asset for a single job, but as potentially a business asset I could one day use to start a business of my own.

I discovered online courses in 2013, and quickly fell in love with the idea of teaching people all over the world what I knew. I decided to make one of my own, and once again, my digital notes came to the rescue

I didn’t start a business with some grand strategic plan. I didn’t even consider it a “business” until a couple years later. Instead, I built a portfolio of products one at a time, by converting my knowledge into formats that could be packaged up and sold online

At some point I realized that my digital notes were much more than a few interesting ideas jotted down somewhere. They constituted a “second brain” full of ideas, insights, theories, facts, research, and other valuable knowledge

My notes allowed me to live a life of creative and intellectual exploration without sacrificing security and quality of life.

I set out to develop the world’s first course on what I began to call Personal Knowledge Management. I wrote blog posts describing my approach and got feedback as people tried what I recommended

Having a second brain has very much been like having a loyal collaborator and thought partner. When I am forgetful, it remembers. When I lose the plot, it reminds me where we’re going. When I’m stuck and at a loss for ideas, it seems to always point the way forward.