Your Simple Guide to Building a Second Brain (6 Tips)

Are you overwhelmed by information, yet can’t recall your best ideas when needed? Learn how to build your second brain and unlock your creativity today.

Build your second brain and let it do the heavy lifting of remembering everything so that you can achieve anything.

The power of a "second brain" was popularised by Tiago Forte in his book, Building a Second Brain. It’s one of my most frequently-referenced books on this blog. As its cult following would attest, it offers a life-changing approach to personal productivity.

Building a Second Brain draws inspiration from David Allen’s classic, Getting Things Done, particularly its emphasis on externalising your thoughts to help de-stress. The goal is to get thoughts out of your head and into a reliable system.

Forte’s second brain concept proposes to build a body of knowledge external to your physical brain. This is your own ‘Personal Knowledge Management’ (PKM) system. Through a structured system, your PKM is designed to help organise your life and unlock your creativity.

Your second brain is inspired by ‘commonplace books’. The great thinkers of the past kept these. It served as a repository of their knowledge, available when they needed it most. In our modern era, you can now digitise your thoughts to optimise your personal productivity.

Here are my top takeaways for building your second brain:

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1. CODE your ideas

Forte believes that the time you first encounter information or an idea isn’t when you most need it—your efforts in building your second brain is for the benefit of Future You.

Forte’s secret to thinking as a curator of your second brain lies in his CODE framework:

CODE

• Capture: Keep what resonates.

• Organise: Save for actionability.

• Distil: Find the essence.

• Express: Show your work.

Forte says:

“We need a way to cultivate a body of knowledge that is uniquely our own, so when the opportunity arises—whether changing jobs, giving a big presentation, launching a new product, or starting a business or a family—we will have access to the wisdom we need to make good decisions.”

So, learn to CODE as part of your routine. The future of your personal brand will thank you.

2. Externalise your knowledge

Your second brain needs a home. So, it’s important to decide where you'll build it.

Since it's almost always with me, I use my phone as my second brain. When ideas strike—whether at inconvenient times or during everyday life—I can capture them immediately. I once heard someone say that you’re never as good at remembering your best ideas as you think you will be. So, it's crucial to capture inspiration and information right away.

I rely on the following phone apps to help build my second brain:

• Notes: For ideas, lists, budgets, projects, goals. Everything from recipes to research gets captured on my phone

• Pinterest: For vivid imagery to help visualise my ideas and words

• Photos: A few simple folders for projects

• Books: (or local Library) app: E-book highlights

These are all searchable too, making the systems easier to sift through.

3. Set your ideas on a slow-burn

Building a second brain allows your knowledge to bubble away in the background. And you can use it to create, and make better decisions when the right time comes. Rather than a forced effort, simmering knowledge helps set you up for more creative ideas in the future:

“…the “slow burn” allowing bits of thought matter to slowly simmer like a delicious pot of stew brewing on the stove. It is a calmer, more sustainable approach to creativity that relies on the gradual accumulation of ideas, instead of all-out binges of manic hustle.”

This slow-burn strategy is the secret sauce for your personal brand’s unique value. Because specialised knowledge you’ve gained over time from lots of different pots is much harder for competitors to replicate.

4. Organise by PARA

Forte’s PARA framework stands for Projects, Areas, Resources and Archives. Instead of organising by topic, organise for actionability:

• Projects: Short-term tasks with specific goals or end dates (a report or event)

• Areas: Ongoing responsibilities without a clear end (health or finances)

• Resources: Materials you might need later (articles or research)

• Archives: Everything that’s no longer active (but could be useful in the future)

5. Share your knowledge

Share your knowledge. There’s little point in researching or reading if you don’t put your mind into motion.

As part of your personal brand’s development, expressing (The ‘E’ of the CODE framework) your ideas forces you to capture, organise, and distil them—finding their essence. For instance, I write a book review every week. This follows each new non-fiction book I've just read. While I publish these reviews on my website, I've written more than I've shared. Still, I’m committed to the process, as it’s my personal note-taking system for everything I read.

My book reviews and their key takeaways help piece together ideas and research for my weekly blog, YouTube channel and podcast episodes on all things personal branding, marketing and personal development.

6. Be a note-giver, not just a note-taker

Be a note-giver, not just a note-taker. Distilling your notes doesn’t have to be the painstaking task it was in school. It can be as simple as make note of a few key points:

“Think of yourself not just as a taker of notes, but as a giver of notes—you are giving your future self the gift of knowledge that is easy to find and understand.”

Remember, your future self likely won’t recall the idea with the same clarity you have today, so give yourself the best chance of success.

Build your second brain to help Future You remember everything you need, for everything you want your personal brand to achieve.