Building A Second Brain: A Proven Method To Organize Your Digital Life And Unlock Your Creative Potential Quotes
"Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them." —David Allen
"We extend beyond our limits, not by revving our brains like a machine or bulking them up like a muscle—but by strewing our world with rich materials, and by weaving them into our thoughts." —Annie Murphy Paul
"It is in the power of remembering that the self’s ultimate freedom consists. I am free because I remember." —Abhinavagupta
"Everything not saved will be lost." —Nintendo "Quit Screen" message
"I often save screenshots of text messages sent between my family and friends. The small moments of warmth and humor that take place in these threads are precious to me, since I can’t always be with them in person."
"The renowned information theorist Claude Shannon, whose discoveries paved the way for modern technology, had a simple definition for 'information': that which surprises you."
"Surprise is an excellent barometer for information that doesn’t fit neatly into our existing understanding, which means it has the potential to change how we think."
"Your Second Brain shouldn’t be just another way of confirming what you already know."
"If what you’re capturing doesn’t change your mind, then what’s the point?"
"The secret to making reading a habit is to make it effortless and enjoyable."
"We know from neuroscientific research that 'emotions organize—rather than disrupt—rational thinking.'"
"Your Second Brain gives you a place to corral the jumble of thoughts tumbling through your head and park them in a waiting area for safekeeping."
"Writing creates new knowledge that wasn’t there before."
"The moment you first encounter an idea is the worst time to decide what it means."
"Don’t worry about whether you’re capturing 'correctly.' There’s no right way to do this, and therefore, no wrong way."
"Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work." —Gustave Flaubert
"Twyla Tharp calls her approach 'the box.' Every time she begins a new project, she takes out a foldable file box and labels it with the name of the project."
"The box makes me feel organized, that I have my act together even when I don’t know where I’m going yet."
"What would capturing ideas look like if it was easy?"
"To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day." —Lao Tzu
"The process of distillation involves stripping away the unnecessary so that only the essential remains."
"Progressive Summarization is not a method for remembering as much as possible—it is a method for forgetting as much as possible."
"In making decisions about what to keep, we inevitably have to make decisions about what to throw away."
"Your goal is to clear your virtual workspace and gather all the items related to each active project in one place."
"Your notes only solve the problem of rediscovering those sources when you need them."
"Each layer of highlighting should include no more than 10–20 percent of the previous layer."
"You should do [highlighting] when you’re getting ready to create something."
"The rule of thumb to follow is that every time you 'touch' a note, you should make it a little more discoverable for your future self."
"Rely on your intuition to tell you when a passage is interesting, counterintuitive, or relevant."
"Notetaking gives you a way to deliberately practice the skill of distilling every day."
"More is not better when it comes to thinking and creating."
"We need to prioritize our ability to quickly rediscover the ideas that we already have in our Second Brain."
"When the opportunity arrives to do our best work, it’s not the time to start reading books and doing research."
"Use what you have; even if it seems meager, it may be magic in your hands."
"Chefs use mise en place—a philosophy and mindset embodied in a set of practical techniques—as their 'external brain.'"
"Building a Second Brain is not just about downloading a new piece of software... it is about adopting a dynamic, flexible system and set of habits."
"It’s not enough to have inner discipline. We also need to follow an outer discipline."
"The truth is, any system that must be perfect to be reliable is deeply flawed."
"What would you say if I told you that [the need for more information] isn’t true?"
"Your Second Brain is always on, has perfect memory, and can scale to any size."
"Knowledge becomes more powerful as it spreads."
"There is no single right way to build a Second Brain."
"The purpose of knowledge is to be shared."
"Self-expression is a fundamental human need."
"Your mind will become calmer, knowing that every idea is being tracked."
"Run after your obsessions with everything you have. Just be sure to take notes along the way."