Growing up, I hated reading. Honestly, I hated almost anything connected to learning.
I went into the trades at school, discovered that wasn’t for me, and moved through a few different careers before eventually finding something I genuinely loved: digital marketing.
That changed the way I looked at learning. I went from avoiding it to not being able to get enough of it.
Two books played a big part in that shift: Building a Second Brain and The PARA Method by Tiago Forte. They helped me build a system for capturing ideas, organizing information, and finding what I need without searching everywhere.
Your brain is for creating, not storing
The main idea behind Building a Second Brain is simple: our brains are great at making connections and coming up with ideas, but they are not reliable storage systems.
Instead of trying to remember everything, capture it somewhere you trust. That could be a paper notebook, Samsung Notes, Apple Notes, a Google Doc, or any other tool that works for you.
I use Notion. I built a second brain where I can quickly save thoughts, ideas, useful links, and anything else I may want later. Everything first lands in a quick-capture inbox. At the beginning and end of each day, I review that inbox and file each item where it belongs.
PARA makes information easier to find
PARA stands for Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. I use this structure in Notion, Samsung Notes, my web browser, and even on my hard drive.
- Projects are active outcomes with a deadline or clear finish line.
- Areas are ongoing responsibilities without an end date, such as finances, health, or recurring work.
- Resources are useful references you may want again, including ebooks, guides, research, templates, and notes.
- Archives hold anything inactive that you no longer need in your day-to-day system.
The best part is that you do not need to perfectly reorganize your entire digital life before you start. Put your existing files into an archive, begin fresh, and organize new information as it arrives. You can refine the system as you use it.
The real goal is frictionless capture
A useful organization system needs to make saving information easy.
On my phone, I use a Notion widget that sends new ideas directly to my quick-capture inbox. Browser extensions and sharing tools let me save useful things from the web into the right database too.
Think about how often you see a recipe on TikTok, an article you want to read, or an idea you could use for content, then forget where it was. A second brain gives those things a dependable home.
My own system goes beyond notes. It includes content planning for multiple platforms, scripts, ideas, scheduling, and planning for my days, weeks, months, quarters, and years. It is all built around the PARA method so I can capture information quickly and find it again when I need it.
If you want to become more organized and productive, I highly recommend trying PARA. Start small, use tools you already enjoy, and build the habit of capturing first and organizing later.
If you would like to explore the second brain I built around this system, CLICK HERE to check it out.
This Week's Quote
"Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."