Second Brains in the Wild

I’m often surprised when people find the idea of a “Second Brain” – a system of knowledge management that lives outside one’s head – to be fanciful or unrealistic.

When in fact, the practice of saving and storing important information in a trusted place is ubiquitous.

Professionals of all kinds have developed ways of documenting their ideas, insights, operational details, and lessons learned.

Here are examples of specific kinds of knowledge management tools used by various professions: 

Songwriters keep hook books with musical passages that might make good hooksComedians keep  gag archives  with material for future bitsNatural dyers maintain dye journals with “dye recipes”Programmers keep code libraries with snippets, links, and examples of code that they’ve found useful in the pastTheatre stage managers use  prompt books  to record the details of sets and the scenes that play out on themFashion designers keep portfolios with their drawings and clothing designsGolfers keep yardage books with their notes on the golf courses they play so they know what to expect each time around that holeLawyers keep case files (also known as “brief banks” or “motion banks”) with details from past cases they might want to refer to in the futureCustomer service representatives maintain personal knowledge bases with standard responses for common customer issuesEntrepreneurs compile idea books with their business and product ideasScientists and researchers use field notebooks to record their observations in the fieldRappers have rhyme books with snippets of evocative lyricsTeachers keep lesson plan books for the next time they want to reuse a lessonMarketers and advertisers keep swipe files with examples of compelling adsMilitary officers use a little green notebook to take notes during briefings, log physical training scores, and keep track of inspections

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