On a recent Sunday afternoon, while reading on the couch, I was startled to realize that I had a life philosophy. It’s not a very deep or sophisticated one. It’s not rooted in a grand narrative. It doesn’t specify precisely which rules to follow or which decisions to make. But it has served me well….
The relationships that underpin a strong community don’t happen by accident. They require “social infrastructure” – the physical spaces in which people have direct, face-to-face interaction. Communities emerge from places like schools, playgrounds, parks, athletic fields, sidewalks, courtyards, community gardens, churches, civic associations, markets, cafes, diners, barber shops, bookstores, and libraries. Libraries are the focus…
Last year I received an intriguing message from someone who called himself “The Efficient Librarian.” He had recently completed my online course Building a Second Brain, and said he wanted to talk about a collaboration. This mysterious sender turned out to be Doug Crane, writer of The Efficient Librarian blog and director of the county…
Enjoy this conversation on the Modern Wisdom podcast, in which I walk through each level of the Digital Productivity Pyramid, my model for how knowledge workers should be educated and trained.
Here’s an excerpt from a short guest appearance I made for the Discover Praxis community, on how a Second Brain can be a springboard to a successful and fulfilling career.
Here is a 45-minute presentation I delivered at Francesco D’Alessio’s virtual conference ProdCon 2019.
How does it feel to have a Second Brain? It feels like raw power. Like energy coursing into my mind and body from every source of information I have access to. Like the world is made of ideas, and I have a key to its underlying reality. It feels like I am the master of…
Now available in Spanish. If I had to give everyone one piece of advice for improving their productivity and learning, it would be “principles over prescriptions.” Every tip and tactic has a shelf life, and will someday become outdated. Even the most cutting-edge new app will eventually lose relevance. The history of managing ideas reveals…
This essay was originally posted on the Ribbonfarm blog. The organizing principle of the modern world is pain. Avoiding it, yes. But also trading in it, taking refuge in it, and using it to justify our actions. Pain has so many uses. Why would you ever give up such a versatile tool? We trade in…
This is a complete, 2-hour video recording of a live workshop on the Building a Second Brain methodology. It was delivered in Mexico City to a group of students of Collective Academy, by Tiago Forte, Lauren Valdez, and David Perell. For more information on the online course, visit http://www.buildingasecondbrain.com.
Below is an interview with Paul Millerd, a freelance strategy consultant and prolific content creator, on his experience turning the knowledge he gained through his consulting work into a series of online courses on Boundless U. We talk about, among other things: Paul’s journey to creating courses (starting with a resume course 5 years ago) Using…
In this interview, I spoke with Collin Morris on his podcast Zion 2.0 about what it means to “design your reality.” This conversation actually drifts quite far from productivity, and we got into some pretty interesting observations about personal growth, self-awareness, and the relationship between pain and pleasure. Visit the episode webpage, or listen below: