4 ms·
I'm working my way through Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte. I can't say I've digested it well enough to recommend it, but a key point that stuck with me
by sowbug 3y ago
I'm working my way through Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte. I can't say I've digested it well enough to recommend it, but a key point that stuck with me is to get into the habit of making a note of things you encounter day-to-day (including while reading and researching), and using the "PARA" method to file them into projects, resources, areas, or the Gmail-like "archive." Projects are things you're actively working on -- 2023 taxes, planning a night out for your anniversary, reaching a level of proficiency with LLMs, etc. Resources are a little longer-lived than projects; they're subjects you find interesting that don't have a clear start or finish the way a project does, like a bash cheatsheet, or a gardening hobby. Finally, an area is something that never goes away, like personal finances or family paperwork.
These groups have helped me organize my "lifestream" a lot better. Rather than torturing myself about deciding the perfect place for everything I learn, PARA helps me understand that organization is more of a lifecycle with stages over time. Something might go into a project folder today, but when that project is complete (or abandoned), its parts can go into reusable resources, mini-brain areas, or the archive. That fluidity has made filing of information a lot easier.
This isn't a full answer to your whole question. But knowing how to deal with the influx of daily information, and developing more of an opinion what a research session's work product should look like, is a piece of the puzzle.
*https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/ https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/
- michael_michael 3y agoGTD, BASB, bullet journals, org-mode, todoist… What do we do? There are infinite methods, tools, apps, and only so many hours in a day. Do you just keep trying tools/methodologies till one clicks with you?
- harshhpareek 3y agoFell into that trap before. You recognize that no note taking system is perfect, so you just pick one that doesn’t get in your way. After shuttling between a bunch, I was most productive just using Apple notes for a long time. I use Obsidian now. Feels good and doesn’t lock me in.
- VladimirGolovin 3y agoI tried many of them, even wrote my own app (failed), but today I just use Obsidian with separate workspaces for each major project / area. (Can't say that it works well for recurring tasks, but that's not Obsidian's fault – that's entirely on me.)
- vonjuice 3y agoI spent a long time searching, and then trying to invent my own "perfect" system. Where to archive done items, how to organize item priorities, what date format to use, etc. I saw the system as this external thing that if I could get it just right maybe my life would be solved (exaggerating obviously). Eventually my focus shifted from the system itself, to my interaction with it. I realized that it wasn't about having a system, it was about removing as much friction as possible.
- Semitangent 3y agoAs someone who never enjoyed reading non-fiction books (and still doesn't), I've talked about this topic with someone who successfully devours books on the topic of "How to be a great boss". Their suggestion was that while there are many Greats, each with a devout following of their own, you as a non-convert aren't really expected to deeply study GTD and the like and then either Join The Club or better have a good reason not to like this magnum opus. That space of books can be enjoyed simply by lightly reading them, seeing what sticks with you - personally - and then moving on. Since the subject and the methods on offer are so broad, it is really ok to just think "meh" and not waste anymore time on PARA etc., if in that specific case the method just doesn't resonate with you. This is how I arrived at my very slimmed down version of Bullet Journaling - it was supposed to solve my problem and I realized that it's ok not to be a stationery influencer with forty shades of pastels arranged in slightly chaotic groups so they look nice on the Insta.
- codingdave 3y agoYes. Find one that works. Don't strive for perfection in it. And then move on. Don't keep obsessing over organization if what you are doing is working.
- Eudaimion 3y agoOOP, Multi-Service Architecture, Technical Documentation, Vim, Github What do we do? There are infinite methods, tools, apps, and only so many hours in a day. Do you just keep trying tools/methodologies till one clicks with you? It's the same in the productivity world as it is in the programming one. Problems never have a perfect solution and you have limited resources and different bottlenecks. People come up with different things, that work for them, that might not work for others. You can find interesting things if you overlap Software and Personal Behavior resources Personal resources: time, energy, friction, memory, agency Software resources: time, computation complexity, memory, business logic
- tmaly 3y agoIt is a great book, I read it last year and I apply PARA in Obsidian. I still apply some slipbox techniques with note taking. My only challenge now is how to regularly review my notes and update them.
- velyan 3y agoI have hear about this book, but haven’t read it yet. Thanks for sharing these takeaways! How do you actually organize projects, resources and areas. What tools and systems do you use?
- sowbug 3y agoI use Google Keep for online stuff. For real life, I have a bunch of boxes that take up a shelf in my home office. Pretty simple, nothing too fancy.