Tiago Forte's Blog, page 40

The Official Second Brain Note Template

Presenting the first ever official note template for use with my Building A Second Brain online course and methodology! Click below to download the template to your own Evernote account:

View note template

Here is a quick 2-minute demo video showing how to make use of the template:

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Announcing The Annual Review New Year’s Bundle

I’m very proud to announce the first ever New Year’s Bundle for Building a Second Brain!

It has been a VERY eventful two years since I first launched this course (known as BASB for short), including:

Over 600 students from all over the world learning how to build their own second brain
13 podcast interviews  I’ve done about the method and the best practices I’ve discovered
9 free case studies about how graduates are putting their second brains to use
More student testimonials that have continued to pour in
A steady stream of blog posts (free and members-only) expanding on or diving deeper into related topics
At least three universities integrating BASB methods into their courses, including Stanford University

I’ve just published version 7.0 of the course, which includes valuable new content and features. You can see the full history of every version here. I’ll continue making updates and improvements for the foreseeable future, and new updates will always be available to all past customers.

The new features include:

One-time live bootcamp version of the course from Jan. 16–Feb. 6, 2019
New advanced tutorial: Creating Note Templates with Evernote (with Stacey Harmon)
Access to book summary archives (in-depth summaries of 59 best-selling books related to knowledge management, note-taking, and visual thinking)
New and improved RandomNote app version 2.0 and walkthrough tutorial (a customized web app we created to randomly resurface notes from your Evernote notebooks for review)
Fixed broken links and clarified instructions and wording

But that’s not even the most exciting part!

This year, I’m partnering with Taylor Pearson, best-selling author of The End of Jobs and a well-known entrepreneur, consultant, and speaker. Taylor took the course and implemented my note-taking methods last year. He’s written a new article about what he learned through that experience, how he uses it in his own writing and business (including examples), and his take on how personal knowledge management fits into a changing economy and workplace.

I’ve also followed and gained a lot of insights from Taylor’s extensive writing on productivity, innovation, and the future of work. We learned so much from each others’ perspectives, that we’ve decided to join forces and combine our courses into a complete curriculum for transforming your productivity in 2019, including:

My Building a Second Brain online course
Taylor’s course The Effective Entrepreneur
The Annual Review Live Workshop

Taylor and I take opposite, but complementary approaches to productivity and effectiveness.

My approach is “bottom up,” starting with clearing work spaces and organizing material that has accumulated over the course of the year. I prefer starting with tangible, practical tasks and notes and working my way up toward ambitious projects and goals.

Taylor takes a “top down” approach. He begins with a 25-year vision, translating that into a quarterly plan, then a weekly review, and then a daily ritual. In this way, the decisions and actions of each day are reflections of the long-term vision. Every task you complete, no matter how small, becomes a brick in a grand monument you are building in your business or career.

Neither approach works all the time. Neither approach gives you all the clarity, confidence, and motivation you need every day. But together, they provide an integrated approach for aligning every little nook and cranny of your life toward the goals you want to achieve.

Don’t spend years and countless dollars trying out every productivity tip out there! Allow Taylor and I to distill the thousands of ideas we’ve tested into a clear, coherent set of principles that are tried and true. In our courses, we provide all the instructions, templates, examples, and case studies you’ll need to skip years of trial and error and advance toward your goals at light speed.

I know that taking self-paced courses can be a challenge on your own, so to tie it all together, we are also offering The Annual Review, a live virtual workshop on Saturday, Jan. 5 and Sunday, Jan. 6 (from 10-11:30am Pacific time on each day) to show you how we do our “annual reviews.” This is a one-time exclusive that we can’t promise will ever be available again.

These reviews are carefully designed reflections on the past year combined with visualization and planning for the next year. We each rely on our reviews to update our productivity systems for the new year, and set powerful goals that reflect our latest priorities.

The workshop will be delivered online using the Zoom video-conferencing software, so you can participate no matter where you live. Each call will be uploaded to a private curriculum shortly after they finish, so you can follow along even if you can’t attend live.

This curriculum will contain not only the call recordings, but dozens of templates, checklists, and examples we will share with you from our own knowledge collections. This curriculum will be available to you indefinitely for review, reference, and of course, next year’s review!

The Annual Review workshop will take place in two parts:

Part 1: 10–11:30pm Pacific time on Saturday, Jan. 5
Part 2: 10–11:30pm Pacific time on Sunday, Jan. 6

In Part 1, we’ll show you our annual review protocols and guide you in curating your own process. Then we’ll give you a full day to work your way through the process you’ve designed on your own, while Taylor and I will be available all day on Slack to encourage you and answer any questions. This way you’ll benefit from both group learning and private reflection time. We’ll encourage everyone participating to share bits and pieces of what they produce in real time, so you can borrow the parts that inspire or resonate with you. When it comes to setting goals, borrowing is encouraged!

With this dedicated time to complete your own annual review, you’ll have clear start and end times, and the accountability of a dedicated group working alongside you. On Sunday morning, we’ll debrief what you learned and fine-tune your review, leaving you with goals and an action plan for 2019.

You’ll have everything you need to then complete our two courses with your own goals and projects in mind. You’ll be able to apply everything you learn in our courses to the priorities you’ve just identified for yourself. And you won’t be on your own here either: we each have private student groups where you can receive feedback from us and fellow students.

Version 7.0 of BASB also includes a “live bootcamp” running from Jan. 16, 2019 to Feb. 6, 2019. It will take place in four 90-minute calls on the dates below. Two unit videos and exercises will be assigned for completion beforehand, and Tiago will use the call to answer questions, expand on key concepts, and demonstrate new tools and techniques. All these calls will also be recorded and posted to the course curriculum shortly afterward, so you can follow along even if your timezone doesn’t allow for live attendance.

Here are the bootcamp dates:

Session #1 (units 1-2): Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 9am Pacific time
Session #2 (units 3-4): Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 9am Pacific time
Session #3 (units 5-6): Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 9am Pacific time
Session #4 (units 7-8): Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 9am Pacific time

While Building a Second Brain focuses on creating a system of personal KNOWLEDGE management, Taylor’s course The Effective Entrepreneur gives you a system of personal PRIORITY management. One gives you a powerful engine for leveraging your knowledge and insights. The other tells you where to point it for maximum results.

With these two incredibly powerful tools in hand, you’ll start the year with the cards stacked in your favor. You’ll still need to do the work, but this time with all the usual obstacles and distractions removed from your path.

Click here to purchase our New Year’s Bundle before Jan. 4, 2019 at 11:59pm Pacific time, and you’ll be automatically enrolled in three of the most valuable learning experiences on the planet. You’ll be able to get started on the courses right away if you’d like, and join live on Jan. 5 when we kick off The Annual Review workshop.

If you have any other questions, check out our frequently asked questions, email us directly at tiago@fortelabs.co or taylor@taylorpearson.me, or ping us on Twitter @fortelabs or @taylorpearsonme.

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Building a Second Brain: Version Notes

This post summarizes the major changes made to each successive version of our Building a Second Brain online course. The links lead directly to each resource, but will only be accessible by people enrolled in the course.

 

Version 7.0 (Jan. 2019)

One-time live bootcamp version for current and past participants (to replace monthly group calls)
New advanced tutorial: Creating Note Templates with Evernote (with Stacey Harmon)
Access to Anti-Book Club book summary archives (in-depth progressive summaries of 59 books related to BASB)
New and improved  RandomNote app version 2.0 and walkthrough tutorial
Fixed broken links and clarified instructions and wording
Updated BASB Media page with links to free interviews, case studies, and articles
New page on the Praxis blog showing only BASB-related posts (free and members-only)

Version 6.0 (August 2018)

New in-depth case study #4: Business Development with PKM
Moved P.A.R.A. walkthrough videos from main curriculum to Media Library
Other improvements to the curriculum and online forum

Version 5.1 (March 2018)

Added in-depth case study #3: Long-Form Writing Using PKM
Added 1-page document summarizing BASB takeaways: 20 Commandments of BASB
Added customizable Table of Contents and schedule for self-paced learning
Added PKM Self-Assessment for measuring improvement after the course ends

Version 5.0 (Feb. 2018)

Added 21-part screenshare walkthrough of P.A.R.A. Setup Checklist (downloading and installing Evernote, importing common media types, and organizing into PARA notebooks and stacks)
Created course orientation video showing how to use 3 main course platforms and the online forum categories
Added in-video callouts and timestamped links for key resources mentioned in videos (found in a text box below each video)
Scheduled ongoing, monthly group calls for all current and past participants
Added a  coaching program  for implementing BASB techniques
Edited BrainyBot to include tips and advice for completing the course successfully, and inspirational testimonials from previous participants
Created new Slack channel for all current and past participants
Transitioned course from live to self-paced format

Version 4.0 (Dec. 2017)

“Flipped” the classroom, assigning pre-recorded lectures as homework, and dedicating live sessions to deep dives, examples, discussion, and exercises
Created a v1 of PKM Self-Assessment, to determine what level of PKM someone currently operates at
Added coaching edition, including 1-on-1 coaching and weekly group coaching
Created v1 of Nerve Bundle, a set of pre-formatted templates designed to enable workflow strategies
Added new versions of RandomNote for Windows and browser, including new features
Reconfigured forum category for Dev Group to identify different versions and collect feedback on them
Added new content on compression principles of Progressive Summarization
Redesigned takeaway emails to be clearer and more actionable
Modified course curriculum to call out action steps explicitly and make modules shorter
Created and tested new P.A.R.A. Migration Checklist
Adapted and tested new Project List Mindsweep exercise to clearly identify all projects
Added new exercises 10-Year Countdown and Inspiration Everywhere
Launched and tested v1 of BrainyBot, to provide automated reminders and facilitate engagement
Added new project ideas to Post-BASB Next Steps thread

Version 3.0 (Sept. 2017)

Worked with Ben Mosior as Course Manager, who took on many backend logistical responsibilities and provided feedback on the forum, among other things
Created RandomNote app to randomly surface Evernote notes based on search criteria, and wrote post explaining how and why it works
Created  Media Library  as a central repository of latest version of lecture videos, as well as guest lectures/interviews
Started Dev Group, a group of current and past participants interested in designing or developing software around PKM
Clarified difference between Get Stuff Done Like a Boss and Building a Second Brain
Added implementation sessions, for people to share their screen and get targeted guidance on their PKM setup
Created personalized diagnostic reports, highlighting areas for improvement, for each participant based on their survey and exercise responses
New in-depth case study, showcasing informal project planning using PKM tools and methods
Redesigned online forum to be easier to navigate, added highlighting feature, and made top resources list
Completely changed Unit 8: The Big Picture to incorporate Eras of Productivity, Container vs. Stream Thinking, Curation, Scarcity vs. Abundance
Added slides to final debrief, summarizing the next steps on the PKM journey and some parting thoughts

Version 2.0 (May 2017)

All 8 units were recorded and uploaded separately as shorter, more condensed videos
Added new slides to all units, and made edits to existing slides to make the explanations and examples more clear
Renamed Unit 7: Making It All Work to P.A.R.A.: Organizing for Insight, and moved it to unit 2 to form the foundation on which everything else is built
Switched Unit 3: Maximizing Return on Attention and Unit 4: Progressive Summarization, to give the practical method first, followed by the underlying principles and theory
Combined Unit 5: The Design of Discoverability and Unit 6: Workflow & Retrieval into a new Unit 6: Just-In-Time Project Management
Added more workflow strategies to the new unit 6, and organized them according to a “diagnosis”of the problem or situation in which they are most useful
Introduced new final project: completing a PKM Workflow Canvas to summarize what you’ve learned in the course, as a springboard for further improvement
Added a new Unit 7: PKM Workflow Canvas, introducing and explaining how the canvas works
Added a PKM Case Study showing how the new techniques are used in a real project
New Unit 8: The Big Picture

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Second Brain Case Study: Progressive Summarization as Religious Experience

This is a conversation with Allison Andrade, an undergraduate student at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She was one of several cohorts of students taught to use Progressive Summarization by a professor, Wes Daniels (who has written about that experience here).

In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about:

My background in religion and how it has influenced my work


Examples of states of flow in religious experience, drawing on ideas and terminology from the book Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal (affiliate link; my members-only summary here)


The importance of making “ecstasis” more accessible to more people, by making it available within societal conventions


Progressive Summarization as an intentional way of planning and writing papers in discrete chunks


The power of small intermediate packets to provide a consistent pace of positive reinforcement in difficult endeavors


How she organizes her notes for writing research papers that span many topics


How Progressive Summarization is taught and used in a college-level course, including crowdsourcing the summarization and interpretation of classroom texts


The value of reflective written documents in tracking one’s learning and recontextualizing personal growth


The role of mind-altering substances and religious rituals in “depatterning” believers

You can read more about Allison’s research in her paper: The Intersection of Quaker Practice and Productivity.

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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 Technical School No. 10 in the La Matanza municipality of Buenos Aires. They are mostly low-income immigrants from Bolivia and Paraguay learning technical or small business trades. In the interview we discuss:

How learning to plan projects and set clearly defined goals using PARA as an organizational system gave them direction in finding jobs and planning their future


Small wins as the introduction to the novel idea of “designing” better habits

The importance of habit formation for young people, who often lack productive habits for focusing and pursuing goals (drawing on methods from my course Design Your Habits)

The Digital Productivity Pyramid as a framework for digital literacy education that focuses on producing outcomes

The second group is a basic computer class offered to senior citizens by the Catholic-run foundation Caritas. We discuss:

How technology helps them keep track of their commitments and keep in touch with their families


Introducing the elderly to digital notes as a memory tool

The difference between people who started with desktop computers versus mobile devices

The third group is a network of entrepreneurs and freelancers spread across Latin America and Spain, in which Federico participates as a coach. We talk about:

The role of entrepreneurship and freelancing as a necessary tool for survival in unstable Latin American economies
The spread of Design Thinking in Latin America
Why PARA combined with habit formation is essential for entrepreneurs

Watch the full video of our conversation below, or scroll down to read a transcript in Spanish.

Abridged English Transcript

Tiago Forte: I’d like to hear more about your experience. How did you discover those ideas and applied them in your classes? At some point I’d like to create resources specifically for schools in Latin America. A syllabus in Spanish for students at different levels, for those at the university but also for younger ones. Tell me about your professional profile.

Federico Gonzalez: I teach philosophy at a public school, where most students lack focus and life goals. I told them about habits, and they got very excited. We even created a group in WhatsApp called “Good Habits” where I share videos and resources with them. I also told them about your PARA method, which really got their attention

T: Tell me more about the students.

F: They’re almost eighteen years old, finishing their studies at a technical school. They’re part of low-income families and most of them work with their parents. Many of them are immigrants from Bolivia and Paraguay.

T: How did they react to these concepts?

F: Very positively. They’re always busy with their phones, listening music… and I told them that building good habits is the only way to get out of the situation they’re living in. That really grabbed their attention. Sometimes they asked me permission to take a picture of the blackboard.

T: What kind of habits were they looking to add?

F: A few of them use drugs. In a way, talking about habits woke them up, they realized that there are good habits too. But most of them are worried about passing their finals and finding a job. I’ve been talking with the principal to create some kind of extracurricular activity to connect them with companies and professionals.

T: How did you present them all this?

F: It all started with Fortnite, that online game played by millions of users. These kids don’t pay attention to philosophy, so I used the technology to attract them to this topic. I explained to them about how companies try to form habits in their consumers. And then I connected that with the concepts you talk about.

T: Tell me about PARA. What do you like about it? Why did you find it interesting for your students?

F: I have notes everywhere, it was becoming a problem. PARA has allowed me to organize all the paper I was accumulating.

T: What led you to share it with your students?

F: We had to prepare a workshop on cultural diversity, so we defined goals, projects, tasks… they got really into it, asked lots of questions. I told them to apply those same processes in their lives because they’re tools they can use to improve their economy.

T: I see. Did you use computers?

F: No, everything was analog. They took notes and pictures of the blackboard.

T: How did you introduce PARA in the other class [teaching digital literacy skills to senior citizens]?

F: They had to present a project at a given date, so I said: “Houston, we have a problem”, and presented PARA as the solution.

T: How do you measure success? How do you see if a person has understood and applied these concepts?

F: I see it in their eyes during the class, in the way they’re paying attention. They see it as a way out of their situation.

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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 same thing applies to information revolutions – periods in which the volume of information that humans needed to manage grew dramatically in a short period. These information revolutions were similar to scientific revolutions, introducing whole new ways of thinking that were not possible before.

In order to survive and continue advancing through each of these periods, two things had to be invented:

A new paradigm for our relationship to information
A new kind of tool that manifested this new paradigm

To read this story, become a Praxis member.

Praxis

You can choose to support Praxis with a subscription for $10 each month or $100 annually.

Members get access to:

1–3 exclusive articles per month, written or curated by Tiago Forte of Forte Labs
Members-only comments and responses
Early access to new online courses, ebooks, and events
A monthly Town Hall, hosted by Tiago and conducted via live videoconference, which can include open discussions, hands-on tutorials, guest interviews, or online workshops on productivity-related topics

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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 peace of mind. As important as it is to optimize your own time and effort, there is huge potential upside in adding a whole new human to your capacity.

But I say “can be” because it depends a lot on how you set goals, expectations, and policies. In this guide I’ll give you my recommendations for how to do so, along with numerous examples and templates you can use for yourself.

To read this story, become a Praxis member.

Praxis

You can choose to support Praxis with a subscription for $10 each month or $100 annually.

Members get access to:

1–3 exclusive articles per month, written or curated by Tiago Forte of Forte Labs
Members-only comments and responses
Early access to new online courses, ebooks, and events
A monthly Town Hall, hosted by Tiago and conducted via live videoconference, which can include open discussions, hands-on tutorials, guest interviews, or online workshops on productivity-related topics

Click here to learn more about what's included in a Praxis membership.

Already a member? Sign in here.

The post A Productivity Expert’s Guide to Working with a Virtual Assistant appeared first on Praxis.

The Enrolling Pitch: How To Structure And Deliver A Pitch That Sells, with Julia Beauchamp

This is a presentation and Q&A with Julia Beauchamp, a public speaking coach I recently worked with for an important speaking gig. Her company, Speak to Inspire, specializes in working with entrepreneurs, experts, and leaders who have mastered their craft, but are looking for ways to more effectively communicate their message in a powerful way that moves people to action.

It was a fascinating experience working with a professional on my content structure, persuasion techniques, body language and presence, and of course, salesmanship. I have so many important things to say, but in the past have found that audiences get bored listening to my overly detailed and technical presentations. In September I was invited to speak at a prestigious conference to a foreign audience, and I knew I needed to reshape my message to connect with people’s hearts, instead of just their minds.

To read this story, become a Praxis member.

Praxis

You can choose to support Praxis with a subscription for $10 each month or $100 annually.

Members get access to:

1–3 exclusive articles per month, written or curated by Tiago Forte of Forte Labs
Members-only comments and responses
Early access to new online courses, ebooks, and events
A monthly Town Hall, hosted by Tiago and conducted via live videoconference, which can include open discussions, hands-on tutorials, guest interviews, or online workshops on productivity-related topics

Click here to learn more about what's included in a Praxis membership.

Already a member? Sign in here.

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Interview with Weihaur Lau of Created Living, on Health and Wellbeing for Conscious Leaders

I recently interviewed Weihaur Lau of Created Living, a health and wellness-based coaching program for leaders.

Weihaur’s coaching business focuses on helping leaders bring balance and health to their lives. More specifically, he works with a team of coaches and practitioners to help you understand the coping mechanisms you’ve developed to make it through life, and unravel the behavioral and emotional loops that keep them in place. As these loops lose their power, a more authentic and powerful self emerges.

I completed their 3-month coaching program late last year, and had a profound experience learning how my health, my habits, my thoughts, and my performance are so intertwined. I share more about what I learned through the experience in the recorded conversation below.

To read this story, become a Praxis member.

Praxis

You can choose to support Praxis with a subscription for $10 each month or $100 annually.

Members get access to:

1–3 exclusive articles per month, written or curated by Tiago Forte of Forte Labs
Members-only comments and responses
Early access to new online courses, ebooks, and events
A monthly Town Hall, hosted by Tiago and conducted via live videoconference, which can include open discussions, hands-on tutorials, guest interviews, or online workshops on productivity-related topics

Click here to learn more about what's included in a Praxis membership.

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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 the onboarding process. Give yourself at least 30 days to learn the ins and outs of everything. This can include the client’s personality, the company culture, new software and apps you’re using etc. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during the onboarding process. The first 30 days are all about getting acquainted and building trust.

To read this story, become a Praxis member.

Praxis

You can choose to support Praxis with a subscription for $10 each month or $100 annually.

Members get access to:

1–3 exclusive articles per month, written or curated by Tiago Forte of Forte Labs
Members-only comments and responses
Early access to new online courses, ebooks, and events
A monthly Town Hall, hosted by Tiago and conducted via live videoconference, which can include open discussions, hands-on tutorials, guest interviews, or online workshops on productivity-related topics

Click here to learn more about what's included in a Praxis membership.

Already a member? Sign in here.

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