# Advice on Creating a Second Brain When creating entries in your second brain you should: - **==Reword== any knowledge you gather ==as you will only truly learn something if you use it== i.e. create something with it.** For example, instead of simply reading an article or a book and storing it in a 'read' pile, you should instead write a short summary of it (see [[Progressive Summarization]]). - **Make it easy for your future self. You should ==try hard to make sure your notes will remain clear to you in 10 years time==**. Don't assume you'll remember your current circumstances and what you know at the moment. - **==Try to make meaningful insights== using all of your knowledge ==across different domains==**. This follows the idea that **creativity is nothing other then remixing your past experiences in interesting ways**. Or, as [[Nick Milo]] put it, "valuable insights are generated at the cross-roads of unexpected ideas."[^2] - **Your second brain should be compatible with the [[Capture Habit]], to ==allow for easy capture== (easy to use, quick, cross-platform, etc.)** [^2]: [[How the Obsidian Graph View Makes You a Better Thinker]] ## Features of a Good Note-Taking Tool - **Ease of use**: any note-taking tool is ultimately **a productivity tool** and as such using it **should not impose an additional cognitive load** - Organization should be **note-first, not folder, context, or tag-first, as that imposes additional cognitive load**. See [[Benefits of Using Flat Organizational System for PKM]]. - **Search** functionality: Because categorization is note-first (see above), the tool should have a powerful search engine - **Bi-directional linking: to allow link emergence** - It should support **any file type, to make linking easier** - Durability: **open file formats and easy backup** - **Sync and cross-platform support**: The tool should provide synchronization across multiple devices and platforms, allowing users to access their notes from anywhere, anytime. This should include desktop and mobile applications, and ideally web-based access. - **Offline access**: While synchronization is important, the tool should also allow users to access and edit their notes offline, ensuring uninterrupted productivity even without an internet connection, in places such as Germany. - **Sharing**: it should be easy to share notes with others For more background see: - [[Building a Second Brain (Tiago Forte)#Requirements of a Digital Note Taking System]] - [[Building a Second Brain (Tiago Forte)#Digital Note Taking Functions We Need to Support Creativity]]