The Forte Labs Blog

Dedicated to Exploring the Frontier of Modern Productivity

Building a Second Brain: Version Notes

Below you can find the major changes we’ve made to each version of our Building a Second Brain online course. Version 14 (April 12 – May 10, 2022) Signed Hardcover Edition of the Book All new students in Cohort 14 receive a signed, hardcover edition of Tiago’s upcoming book Building a Second Brain. They will…

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Second Brain Case Study: PARA and Habit Formation in Argentina

I recently interviewed Federico Gonzalez, an Argentinian educator in Buenos Aires, about his experience teaching some of the methods from my Building a Second Brain course to three groups he works with in Argentina. The first group is sixth-year students at Escuela TĂ©cnica del Gran Bs As in the La Matanza municipality of Buenos Aires. They…

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The Structure of Information Revolutions

In 1962, philosopher Thomas Kuhn published his landmark work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, forever changing our view of the history of science. Kuhn showed that scientific revolutions follow a certain pattern, in which periods of conceptual continuity in normal science were interrupted by periods of revolutionary science. In this article I’ll argue that the…

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A Productivity Expert’s Guide to Working with a Virtual Assistant

Over the past five months I’ve worked closely with a virtual assistant (VA). This article summarizes what I’ve learned about the best ways to handle the working relationship, in the form of a guide for anyone who wants to do the same. Hiring a VA can be an absolute game-changer for your productivity, effectiveness, and…

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10 Things I Learned as a VA with Tiago

By Kathryn Tongg 1. Establish the preferred method of communication right away. Everyone has a way they prefer to communicate. Whether this is via phone, text, email or other app such as Slack, determine upfront what your client prefers. This will ensure you’re both on the same page with clear expectations. 2. Be patient in…

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MESA Part 5: The Future of Work That MESA Envisions

MESA Co. considers their method not just a problem-solving tool, but an entirely new way of working. As their ambitions have grown, they’ve begun looking toward a future in which this way of conducting work is nothing more than common sense.

In this article, I’ll outline a vision for what the future of work might look like if MESA has its way.

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MESA Part 4: The Origins of MESA

The MESA Method is full of firmly held beliefs and sharp distinctions. To understand why they’re so important, you have to understand where they came from. I recently sat down with Bárbara Soalheiro, the founder and CEO of MESA Co., and Lígia Giatti, her number 2, to try and understand the origins of this new way of working.

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