Press, Reviews, Articles, and Case Studies on Building a Second Brain

The following is a collection of customer reviews, interviews, online articles, case studies, and other third-party sources related to my online course on Personal Knowledge Management, Building a Second Brain. For customer testimonials, click here. We’ll update it periodically with new links. Interviews Interview with Austin Brawner and Andrew Foxwell on The Ecommerce Influence Podcast:…

The React Productivity Revolution

On 10/25/17 I delivered a talk at ReactiveConf, an annual conference held in Bratislava, Slovakia centered on the React Javascript front-end development technology and ecosystem. Here are a few followup resources: #1 The slides from the talk: #2 A followup blog post I wrote, presenting the same ideas in the context of massively increasing project throughput…

From Multitasking to Multiplexing: 5 Steps to Building a Personal Productivity Network

Someone once asked me a question: what would it take to multiply someone’s productivity by 100? It’s a more interesting question than the typical headlines you see online (3 Weird Tricks to 10x your Productivity!!!), because it’s so clearly out of reach using conventional approaches. No amount of planning, effort, or hours worked will even…

The Topology of Attention

It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that my work is really about attentional design. Becoming aware of attention. Shaping and directing it. Shifting its quality and inner experience. Leveraging it to produce work of real value. Tell someone what to do, they might be more productive for a day. Tell them what to pay attention…

First Principles of Workflow Design: Interview with Khe Hy and Tiago Forte (Part II)

First Principles of Workflow Design: Interview with Khe Hy and Tiago Forte (Part II) I had a wonderful time talking with Khe Hy (of Radreads and Quartz) a second time on his podcast Rad Awakenings. ▶️ Play Episode ▶️ Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | TuneIn| RSS We discuss our respective “first principles” when it…

Second Brain Case Study: Researching and writing a 10,000-word academic article

Note from Tiago: I recently received this unsolicited email from C. Wess Daniels, a graduate of Building a Second Brain. I’m publishing it here with his permission, with only minor edits for clarity. Comments in [brackets] are mine, and I’ve bolded the “juiciest” parts. Hi Tiago, I hope this finds you well. I’m writing to…

The Unmistakable Creative Podcast: Tiago Forte on Building a Second Brain

Check out my conversation with Srini Rao on The Unmistakable Creative podcast. Or read Doug Toft’s summary of the conversation here. It’s probably the deepest I’ve ever gone into the content of my course, of the same name: Building a Second Brain: Capture, Organize, and Share Your Ideas Using Digital Notes. Next round kicks off…

The World Beyond Your Head: How Distraction Shapes Who We Are

Matthew Crawford’s book The World Beyond Your Head (Affiliate Link) is the most important book I’ve read in quite some time. It makes a sweeping argument about what it means to be an ethical, autonomous human in the digital age. Crawford draws a strong connection from the distractions buzzing on our phones, to the evolving…

The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Desire, and Working Free

I’ve become obsessed with coaching. It started in February, when I started the 4-month Self-Expression & Leadership Program at Landmark. I was assigned an accountability group and a coach, who guided me through the process of planning and executing a community service project. That process included learning how to communicate a vision, how to recruit…

Strategically Constrained: How to Turn Limitations Into Opportunities

I first came across the idea that great strengths can emerge from great constraints in Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way. He takes a philosophical and historical approach, citing numerous Very Important People in history who used their unique challenges as springboards. I was annoyed by the idea, thinking something along the lines…

Live Interview at Evernote HQ: Habit Formation and Behavior Change

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Forrest Bryant at Evernote HQ, for my first ever live on-camera interview, broadcasting on Facebook Live. The topic was habit formation and behavior change, two of my favorite topics. Check out the full blog post for a video recording of the interview, a written summary of…