Building My Second Brain

I've always been amazed by peers who can recall precise details from conversations or meetings that happened years ago. That's never been me - I struggle with remembering details over time. Whether it's feedback from a meeting last month or insights from a book I read last year, I find myself constantly needing to refer back to notes. Rather than fighting this limitation, I've learned to embrace it by building a reliable system for capturing and retrieving information when I need it.

After trying countless note-taking methods over the years, I finally found what works best for me in "How to Take Smart Notes" and its Zettelkasten method (also called the "Slipbox" method). What sets this approach apart is how it creates connections between ideas, rather than just collecting them in isolated notebooks or documents.

The magic of Slipbox is in how it connects ideas together. Instead of just dumping thoughts into different folders or categories, you create small, focused notes and link them based on how they relate to each other. Think of it like building your own personal Wikipedia - each note is its own article, and they all link to related ideas.

If you want to dive deeper into the method, I'd recommend checking out "How to Take Smart Notes" or exploring some of the great blog posts out there. For now, I want to share how I've adapted this system to work for me and how it's evolved over time.

How I use it

Here's how I use it across different areas of my life:

• Personal Notes - capturing life experiences, self-reflection, and areas for growth
• Work Notes - documenting 1:1s, feedback, and project insights
• Learning Notes - distilling knowledge from books, videos, podcasts, and other content

This system has been invaluable for learning from past experiences. When preparing for VC pitches, I can quickly review feedback from previous rounds. During performance reviews, I have a wealth of documented wins and learnings to draw from. Even when starting new projects, I can easily reference past architectural decisions and their outcomes to avoid repeating mistakes.

My approach is pretty straightforward, using tools that are readily available. The diagram above shows my three-step process, starting with Apple Notes as my quick capture tool.

1. Dumping (Apple Notes)

I keep it simple - one page for everything. Meeting notes, random thoughts, interesting links, rough ideas - they all go into the same place. No categories, no organization, just pure brain dump. This zero-friction approach means I actually take notes instead of worrying about where they should go.

2. Filtering (Apple Notes)

During downtime, I review and clean up these notes. It's surprising how many ideas that seemed brilliant in the moment don't hold up after a few days. I'm ruthless here - usually deleting more than half of what I captured. If something still feels relevant and valuable after sitting for a couple days, it stays.

3. Archiving (Obsidian)

Notes that survive the filtering stage hang out in Apple Notes for a few weeks or months before making it to their final home in Obsidian. I chose Obsidian because it's lightweight but powerful, with great features like Graph View for seeing connections between notes and Excalidraw for quick diagrams.

I typically do my archiving during my flights to the US every few months - it's perfect airplane work. When organizing in Obsidian, I started with broad categories and only created sub-categories when pages got too unwieldy. Keeping the structure simple has worked better than trying to create a perfect organizational system from day one.

I try to not have too many indexes so the graph view is not too overwhelming. Its a good way to see which area of my life I'm spending the most time on.

Closing thoughts

After years of refining this system, here are my key practical insights:

• Start simple, iterate often - Begin with a basic system and let it evolve naturally. Trying to build the perfect system from day one usually leads to overcomplexity and abandonment.
• Personalization is key - There's no one-size-fits-all approach to note-taking. The best system is one that fits your natural workflow and thinking patterns.
• Tools support, not solve - While there are many tools promising to be your perfect second brain, the reality is that tools should support your process, not define it. I'm still searching for my ideal tool, but I've learned that having a solid note-taking practice matters more than having the perfect app.
• Delete liberally - A well-maintained note system is like a well-tended garden - regular pruning is essential. Don't be afraid to delete notes that no longer serve you, even archived ones. The freedom from maintaining irrelevant information makes the whole system more valuable.

Both in personal note-taking and AI systems, how we organize and connect information dramatically affects our ability to retrieve and use it. Just as our notes become more valuable with proper context and connections, AI systems also rely heavily on how we structure and maintain their knowledge bases. Whether it's pruning irrelevant notes or fine-tuning AI models, the process of maintaining and improving the system never really ends.

There are many tools out there promising a second brain or digital clone, but I believe the best system is the one that works for you. Personally I haven't found a tool that works for me, but I'm sure I will.