Edition no.10. March 30th, 2023

The core elements of a Second Brain are Projects and Notes.

Notes hold knowledge.

Projects bring progress.

And since the whole purpose of a Second Brain is to use your knowledge to create more progress in life…

It's easy to see why Projects and Notes are especially relevant.

I've recently been thinking about an Ontology for Knowledge Management.

Side note:

• Ontology means the study of what is.

• i.e. A representation of what exists and what are the relationships between existing entities.

Currently, “Projects” and “Notes” are the central items in this Ontology.

They are the drivers of a Second Brain.

Projects represent concrete outcomes you want to achieve.

Notes represent knowledge used to deliver Projects.

Let's dive into these 2 Knowledge Entities. ↓

💬 4 Quotes

Quote 1

Before we talk extensively about Notes, it's important to define what a note is.

A Note is a reusable knowledge building block.

Note here is more of an abstract term.

Less of what a note would represent in school. More of a modern multi-media note. Maybe it's a diagram, a quote, a highlight, a link, or a mind map.

A Note is something you build once but can use many times as a building block in different projects.

But for this to happen, you must find a reusable format:

Make sure you have a common format for your notes, even if they come from different sources, such as books, videos, shower ideas, or meetings.

Quote 2

Notes hold knowledge.

But knowledge is only potential power.

So notes alone are not the answer…

That's where the missing piece comes in:

• Projects

Notes provide value when they move a Project toward completion.

A Second Brain is about using your notes.

Projects are how you do it.

Quote 3

Projects hold your current responsibilities.

Having a complete list ensures every important obligation is on your radar.

This brings peace of mind.

Because you are aware of where your attention is needed.

The best part is that you don't need to remember your responsibilities.

Your Second Brain will remember for you.

Quote 4

This quote blends notes and projects.

You organize your notes according to your list of projects.

Every note you save to your Second Brain is an investment in your future.

When you attach notes to active projects, you are making an investment so you can benefit in a near future.

Then, you can keep using this note in future projects.

📄 3 Notes

1. What is a Project

The definition of a Project is:

"Any outcome you've actively committed to that requires multiple work sessions."

It's something you are working on and would like to complete.

Let's break down the 3 bolded elements above:

1. Projects NEED an outcome: Something must happen for you to complete it.

2. You must be actively committed to it: A Project is not a hobby or a distant wish. If you're not committed to it right now, it's an inactive project.

3. Demands multiple work sessions: You can't complete it in one go. Otherwise, it's a task, which belongs to another project.

Additionally, a project may also have:

• A Collection of notes

• Due date or target date

• An Overview of all actions needed

• People involved and their contacts

2. Using Notes to Finish Projects

As we've seen, Knowledge is only potential power.

You must convert potential power into actual power with Action.

This transition is perfectly illustrated by the four major processes of knowledge management described in Alavi & Leidner, 2001.

The 4 processes consist of:

• Creating (Updating) Knowledge

• Storing and Retrieving Knowledge

• Transferring (Sharing) Knowledge

• Applying Knowledge

In an organization (and personal life), it is the Transferring and Application of knowledge that generates results.

And this is where the problem lies at…

Most Second Brains are designed to Create and Store knowledge.

Some are built to Retrieve it.

Very few are designed to Transfer and Apply that knowledge.

Now notice this distribution represents 3 stages of maturity:

• A Beginner creates and stores knowledge.

• A Skilled stores knowledge and retrieves it.

• An Expert transfers and applies retrieved knowledge.

This last level, my friend, is who you will become if you use Projects correctly.

Notes represent (and hold) knowledge.

A Project is the place where you retrieve the stored notes and either transfer them to someone (or somewhere) or apply them into action.

There's an interesting heuristic to help you here:

To finish a project, you usually need fewer notes than you'd imagine.

This goes back full circle to the idea that Knowledge is not Power.

Rather, Action is Power.

3. Upgrading your Notes

A Note is meant to provide future value.

Each note you create is an investment in your future.

This means it's a good idea to upgrade your notes.

This is one of the best opportunistic habits to cultivate in your Second Brain.

Opportunistic habits are those you usually don't set a specific time to do, but since you're with a note open, you might as well… do these actions.

There are many ways you can upgrade your notes.

Here are a couple of them:

• Change the title of a note

• Share a note with someone

• Add a Topic tag to the note

• Tag Concepts used in the note

• Connect the note to another one

• Combine notes into a greater note

• Bold or Highlight excerpts from a note

• Move or Link a note so it is more actionable

• Make the note Clearer (add or remove words)

This is a long list. Instead of trying to do everything, choose your 3 favorite items from this list and focus just on these 3 ways to improve notes.

You'll be much more likely to remember them.

🔗 2 Links

Link 1: New Meaning of Notes

In this small article, Tiago Forte explains what is a Note in the reality of modern knowledge workers.

He goes deeper into the idea of Knowledge Building Blocks.

A good read to illustrate the concept of reusable notes.

Link 2: Zettelkasten to connect notes

In this short video, Shu Omi explains the concept of a Zettelkasten.

A Zettelkasten, or Slip-Box, is one of the alternatives to connect notes.

It has become very famous over the last 5 years because of the book "How to Take Smart Notes", by Sönke Ahrens.

In this video, Shu explains the basic idea of a Zettelkasten in simple terms, so anyone can understand.

That's it. Thank you for reading!

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See you next week, my friend!

Cheers,

Fis