I believe it was on Chris Do’s podcast that I first heard about the idea of a second brain and how it can improve memory, intelligence and creativity. The memory aspect is what struck me the most but I was curious about how digital note taking could help me be more creative too.
I won’t get into the details of how to build a second brain or why for that matter, though from my own experiences, I would say the more simple the process the easier it becomes to be consistent. I more so want to share how it has helped me become more thoughtful and creative.
I am gaining a better understanding of myself.
By regularly capturing my thoughts on various matters I have identified patterns in my way of thinking which has led to deeper understanding of the lenses in which I chose to frame the world providing opportunities to study these lenses, and change them should they not be of use or perhaps tune them up or down as necessary.
When the mind is externalised I can study it outside of its own environment and identify where emotion conflicts with rationale or where past and future pull at the option of present contentment.
This has ultimately led me to a better understanding of the self as a concept and the mind complementary to it.
I am expressing more creative thought.
In order to learn from these patterns, enough data and self-reflection is required. This incentivised my curiosity to explore how my thoughts and ideas may connect and reveal intricate wisdom. Recording these data points which had no obvious filtering system nor selection criteria, became a daily practice to feed my second brain and as a result, I habitually expressed more of my creative thoughts many of which I return to and expand on with new information.
This means those creative thoughts that have no relevance to my day to day work are also captured for future revisiting.
I am creating a self-search engine.
One of many benefits to investing in my second brain is recalling through the search feature of digital notes when I can’t remember enough of something. I can note what I do remember, like a keyword or phrase, and, as long as I remember that I have or have likely took notes on the subject matter, I can search my second brain to fill the gap in memory. It’s delightful when in memory recall, the organic node meets the corresponding digital node to complete the memory allowing your thought to continue or your work to progress.
I am more organised.
Curating a digital archive of my mind required longer term organisational strategy. Nothing overtly complex but rather a thoughtful approach for how I might navigate it in the future. I am taking notes in efforts to provide my future self with study material; preventing having to start from scratch, and as one arranges their study notes for ease of retrieval, in a similar vain I have arranged my second brain. As such, this ritual has extended to other primarily digital systems in my life and I have come to appreciate and take patience in creating well organised and searchable data.
Through this connectivist approach to note taking, I have derived value and continue to do so from building a second brain and as many learning networks it will benefit from more data. I then look forward to seeing how I expand and utilise it.
