C- Capture
Efficient note-taking is the foundation of a second brain. Here’s how to improve your note-taking process:
- One Location: Use one tool to capture anything. I use my notes app on my phone. I always have it on me and can use it immediately. Analogue notebooks also work perfectly. Other apps are Notion (another favourite of mine), Evernote or Microsoft OneNote.
- Actively engage with the material, highlighting key points and summarising in your words – in your notebook, of course!
- Capture everything that resonates with you. You read a great quote. Write it down.
- Write everything down. Everything. An idea for a birthday gift. Write it down. A recipe you want to try. Save the link. An image you like. Save it. Put everything down in your note-taking device.
O – Organise
Organising your notes is essential for easy retrieval. Especially if you capture information in one place:
Forte suggests organising after actionability. Means when do you need the information next? He also suggests using this organisational structure:
- Projects: short-term with a specific goal, projects in your personal or school life.
- Areas: responsibilities in school or university or your personal life, maybe you’re taking care of the family cat, or you have your car. Your flat and finances are also areas of your life.
- Resources: everything you are interested in—topics you want to check out and learn more about, etc.
- Archives: simple. Here you can store everything from the other categories that are done or inactive.
D – Distil:
Distilling information helps extract valuable insights and key takeaways from your notes:
- Summarise: Articles and books, whatever you read. This can be an extended summary, focusing on the key points will come after this.
- Focus on Key Points: You wrote a 5-page-long summary on atomic habits (fantastic book, you should read it), but go a step further and make a snippet with all the key points of your summary, so you can check them out when needed.
E – Express:
The last one. Expressing your ideas and sharing your second brain can solidify your understanding and contribute to collaboration:
- Develop a system for sharing your distilled notes or insights – especially for group projects.
- Use it actively: Don’t collect knowledge and let it rot in your app. Implement it in your life to improve it and be happier.
- Create a Blog, YouTube Channel or Social Media channel to share your knowledge: Only if you want to and are interested.
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