How I Built A “Second Brain” to Enhance My COO Effectiveness in a Startup (Building a Second Brain Part 1)
TL;DR: Using the Second Brain framework by Tiago Forte has transformed how I channel my reading into actionable insights in my role as a startup COO in a corporate setting. This technique lets me operate efficiently and authentically by effortlessly commencing projects with resonating ideas. Tiago recently released a book on the subject you can buy here!
The Second Brain is a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system that is organized into four parts:
C: Capture
O: Organize
D: Distill
E: Express
This article focuses on how I capture external inspiration, including how and why I use Notion for my Second Brain, and how I leverage it to jumpstart projects in a corporate setting. In the corporate world, most of us are forced to use separate Capture and Organize tools based on the tools our companies use. Let me know if you’d like me to explain how I organize my work within the confines of my company’s workspace.
Here’s a reality that may seem obvious: we each only have one brain. And while our brains are incredibly powerful machines, they can’t absorb unlimited information without consequence.
We all know how easy it is to become overwhelmed - we consume so much data every day that although we may understand it, our brains can’t necessarily process and retain it all. In my work as an executive leader and COO, I know firsthand the importance of being able to effectively sift through copious amounts of data and process key learnings into actionable strategies.
Enter the “Second Brain.” As Tiago Forte explains in his book, the Second Brain is a framework that allows you to combine your cognitive energy and the power of technology to become more productive and efficient. A “Second Brain” enables knowledge workers to steal like artists by assembling external insights and best practices into a unique approach for their organization. I find this especially impactful for operational leaders who are implementing new-to-their-company initiatives, such as startups operating in highly regulated industries.
Like many, I felt the allure of the “Second Brain” concept but couldn't quite pin down its corporate applications.
Here’s the thing - while I love the idea of sharing and teaching, creating YouTube content isn't on my agenda. After many trials testing how YouTube creators implemented the system, and some inevitable errors, I've tailored the system to my corporate setting. Here's my journey and method.
Understanding the Second Brain
If you’re new to the whole “Second Brain” phenomenon, think of it as an evolved “commonbook.”
It’s like a digital Moleskine notebook for those who document every compelling thought or idea that may be of future value. Tailored for the voracious readers, the connectors of unseen dots, and those of us who remember that brilliant quote from a read years ago when diving into a new project.
Rather than letting all those ideas get lost in the ether, they’re organically stored and can be referenced at any time. As a bonus, it doesn’t involve mind-numbing searching for that one thing you read ages ago - it’s all there.
Crafting My Second Brain
Having another brain that you can use to collect and recall anything at anytime – sounds great, right? But how do we actually build one that works for us? It’s all about understanding our needs and then finding the right tools to help us on our journey.
With my affinity for Readwise – a tool aggregating Kindle and read-it-later-app highlights – my journey began. Inspired by Tiago, I utilized Notion to mold my Second Brain, incorporating the vast number of highlights I'd saved over a decade.
Warning: there is a LOT of content about building a second brain in Notion – and I found most of it to be entirely overwhelming. I don’t want to run my entire life out of Notion, I don’t want to manage my task lists in Notion, and I’m not a content creator. I waded through a lot of content until I found a manageable approach I could replicate. Don’t fall into the temptation to overcomplicate this!
My Second Brain Stack
To help you get an idea of how I build and use my Second Brain, I’m going to walk you through the primary components of my stack. These are the core elements that make up my Second Brain in Notion:
Reading: Kindle book, either purchased or accessed via the Libby app.
Saving and Reading Articles: Reader by Readwise.
Love Letter to the Readwise team: To be transparent, I was a longtime Instapaper subscriber (but never truly used the tool.) I paid $2.99 a month for unlimited highlighting because… of course I needed my highlights to go into Readwise! And… I hoarded articles but never read them. During this second brain journey I discovered that the team behind my beloved Readwise had created their own read-it-later app and I went all in on their solution. So far, they’re the first app that’s actually getting me to read articles and newsletters through their Daily Digest feature. It’s the perfect lunch-break sized dose of content served up in a no-pressure way. I’m not stressed out about my 700+ articles and I find their resurfacing feature to be delightful.
Highlighting: Readwise captures highlights from books and articles. It’s like having my own personal content library that’s always there to give me an idea when I'm stuck or short of inspiration.
Consolidation: I use the Readwise-to-Notion integration to bring together all my highlights. This automatically creates notes in Notion that I can refer back to when I need to, making sure I get the most out of my reading.
You Have The Data – Now Use It!
What’s the endgame with these consolidated highlights and snippets of ideas? Simple: I put them to work.
Embracing the system has redefined my work approach. Now, I begin projects by delving into my Second Brain. This strategy is:
Inspiring: It’s like tapping into a library of past inspirations. Anytime I pull open my Second Brain, I can find ideas and insights that previously eluded me. It’s like looking through your music library and noting “wow, all of this music is so good!”. Imagine being able to do when embarking on a work project that you haven’t led before, but you know you’ve read about - such as leading an Executive Team meeting.
Procrastination-friendly: This is work without the fear of immediate judgment. Rather than struggling to write the perfect sentence, I can peruse my Second Brain and assemble previously curated ideas to get me started.
Efficient: You're working with your curated content, not with a search engine's whims. With the data already collected in Notion, I can jumpstart projects quickly and efficiently – no stress or pressure involved! The search feature is Notion is incredibly powerful and I find it energizing to re-discover resonant ideas to kick-start my project.
Regenerative: Spending more time with my Second Brain enriches it further. I’ve transformed from a digital hoarder to someone who sees value in each content piece. How refreshing it is to have a repository of ideas that continually prompts me to think deeper and differently. If I can’t find the inspiration in my highlights, I run the same search in my Kindle and Reader apps to see if the idea is mentioned elsewhere in a piece of content already in my library.
Getting Started on Your Own Second Brain Journey
Are you ready to start reaping the benefits of a Second Brain at work? Here are some tips to get you started:
Start small: Begin by organizing your existing ideas and notes in one central location. Try using apps like Notion, Evernote, or the Apple Notes app to store information from books, articles, or podcasts that are applicable to your work.
Don’t overcomplicate it: By using the right software, the search feature is powerful enough that you can focus your energy on using the content, rather than organizing. Resist the urge to procrastinate by organizing everything before you use it. It’s unnecessary, trust me.
Use tags: Tags are great for quickly finding related information across multiple locations. For example, you could create tags for clients, projects, tasks and other important ideas so they can easily be identified. In the spirit of avoiding overcomplication, I add tags when I’m searching for content in my Second Brain and stumble upon a concept that I know I’ll want to revisit. For example: I haven’t started our annual strategic planning process, but it’s coming up soon and when I recently came across a highlight about structuring this, I added a #strategic-planning tag as a small gift to my future self.
Keep it up to date consistently: I find that this happens automatically because I get so much value out of using my Second Brain, but it’s important that you keep “feeding” it with whatever content is inspiring how you approach your role.
Use it: Finally, don’t forget to use your Second Brain! What’s the point of having all this knowledge if you don’t use it? When thoughts or ideas pop up, be sure to add them into your Second Brain so you can refer back to them later.
So get out there and start building your Second Brain! With a bit of effort, you can create an invaluable resource that helps you stay organized and on top of all your ideas. Happy thinking!
Actionable next steps:
Read Tiago’s book, or watch an overview of the system.
Remember my advice: don’t get overwhelmed and perceive that you have to move your whole life into this system!
Commit to a Capture system that will make it easy for you to use what you’ve consumed.
Try Readwise to capture digital (or paper book!) highlights, set up the Readwise to Notion connection to automate the process of populating your Second Brain
Mine your Second Brain for ideas related to your current work projects
Do you have a Second Brain system or method that you use to capture what you read? If you found this helpful and want me to share how I implemented Tiago’s PARA method for organizing projects, let me know!