# How To Build a Second Brain Created: 2021-12-01 01:41 PM Prev Card: [[A Warm Welcome]] Next Card: #EndCard # Overview A number of people have watched me take notes over the years. When I use a paper and pen, I often "sketch note" - using images, cartoons, and colors to capture ideas visually. Sometimes, however, important information needs to be captured in writing. One of my favorite ways to do this is using a "Second Brain", or "Linking Your Thinking" style of note. This is based upon work done by [[Niklas Luhmann]] as described in the book [[library/How to Take Smart Notes]] by [[Sönke Ahrens]]. What follows is how I use the system with a piece of software called [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md). This type of linked note-taking took off with two groups in the United States after the book was published in 2017. First, with content creators because the internet has a voracious appetite for content, and a Note box (Zettlekasten in German) system can help you create even more content from things you already know. And second, with medical students because practically, everything in the human body is connected. So, what is it, and how does it work? ## Overview Description Luhmann invented the first manually managed hyper-linking system. The value, however, was not so much in the linking, but the way he processed information and organized it. What's more, his links were not simply one direction, but he also used back links, allowing him to traverse trains of thought _in reverse_. This is perhaps better demonstrated visually. ## Overview PDF This overview PDF was built when I still used Roam Research as my platform. I have since moved my note-taking over to Obsidian. ![[Second Brain Note Taking Overview.png]] [[Building a Second Brain.pdf]] ## The Premise There are two core ideas to building a second brain. First, that we should evolve our notes, refining them over time. Second, that we should link them, creating a sort of associativity web that mimics the way the human brain works. The power of this is that each "path" we walk down can create new insights, new understanding, and new content. You can see why content creators would find this so valuable because it can help them create even more content faster. Luhmann published an astonishing number of books (over 40) and academic papers (600) in his career, most of them individually, which is unheard of in academic circles. ## Evolve our note You could also call this refining your notes. The idea is that you have 3 kinds of notes. 1. Fleeting note. 2. Literature Notes 3. Permanent Notes ### Fleeting Notes The fleeting notes are the simple notes we take every day, these are the simple notes we jot down, and they can be anything from a grocery list to a quote. Most are forgotten or deleted. I would add that one form of fleeing note, which is crazy valuable, is the article or book highlight. Using an application like Readwise.io you can import these notes into your second brain, making them available for search and processing. ### Literature Notes These notes are more intentional notes, and they constitute the types of deliberate notes we take when reading a book or article. The emphasis with these notes should be toward restating the content in our own words. This technique is often called the **Feynam Technique** after [[Richard P. Feynman]], the physicist who popularized the practice. The idea is that you should try to explain a concept as if you were talking to a smart 12-year-old. Every time you falter, or fail, go back to the source material and fill in your gaps of knowledge. This practice will allow you to refine your understanding of the material. **Note**: You will likely draw upon some of your fleeting notes (such as highlights) when creating these Literature Notes. ### Permanent Notes This is meant to be the core value of the database. **The Rule is One Idea Per Card** When an idea is worth adding to the permanent database, it can be added, or connected to topics already in the permanent note list. The goal is to intentionally add to our pool of _connected_ understanding. Some people call this, "Linking Your Thinking". A top level, or start card, can contain the first piece of information. Let's say we want to start a thread on dogs. Each significant or unique idea gets its own card, but the key is the cards are connected, like a train of thought. What makes this system so powerful is that each card may branch (like train tracks) leading to new lines of thought that form new trains. What's more, cards may cross-reference each other. ## Build and Refine Over Time One thing that can make a second brain so powerful is that you build it over time, organically. Rather than a static list that is perfectly organized, your Zettlekasten becomes a dynamic system that grows and evolves as our understanding grows and evolves. ## References 1. [How to Take Smart Notes](https://amzn.to/3G9VhEV) ## Resources - [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) - This is the note-taking app I use. It is mostly free, but there are fee-based services which I use. Why do I use it? It is _fast_. Also, its graph is actually useful. Moreover, Obsidian works on _everything_, my iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Windows machine with flawless sharing (using their fee-based sync). Furthermore, Readwise.io supports Obsidian, and I have plugins for Zotero which make my entire library of books and articles available inside Obsidian. - [Roam Research – A note-taking tool for networked thought.](https://roamresearch.com/) - I used Roam for a while but when my notes got too big it got slow, and what's more, they have no native (or did not) iPhone app. - [Notion – One workspace. Every team.](https://www.notion.so/product?fredir=1) I used Notion for a long time, and still have a basic account because Notion successfully imported EVERY OTHER note application I used. However, for a second brain I found it slow, clunky, and a little difficult to use on my iPhone. But many people SWEAR by it. - List of the latest second brain applications: [Best Second Brain Apps For Knowledge Management  (Features & Pricing Compared) - Taskade Blog](https://www.taskade.com/blog/best-knowledge-base-apps/) - Quick list: - 1. Taskade (never used, but I'm too invested in Obsidian to try another conversion) - 2. OneNote (I didn't know OneNote provides backlinks! but it's too late to switch for me) - 3. Obsidian (yeah!) - 4. Roam Research (yup, probably should be 4) - 5. Notion (I tried this first, then Roam, then Obsidian) - 6. Evernote (the granddaddy of them all. I still can't figure out how to make it create backlinks) - 7. Bear App (loved bear, but it was Mac only) - 8. Standard Notes (tried it, not a fan, it was too simple) - 9. Logseq (looks very promising, but I haven't tried it.) - Finally, here's another article with alternatives: [Best 5 Obsidian Alternatives — Keep Productive](https://www.keepproductive.com/blog/best-5-obsidian-alternatives-2022) - Using a second brain for writing. I use a dedicated application called Zettlr to manage the drafts and content for my blog posts. Most people like to write in MS word, but I can't stand it. I'm always fighting with fonts, and formatting. Markdown lets me focus on the words. Plus, it's super portable. [A Markdown Editor for the 21st Century | Zettlr](https://zettlr.com/)