🧠 Second brain. Where is the First?

⚠️ Disclaimer: just my thought on anything
BTW, this is the first article like that so any comments are welcome!

This article is about: “How people usually use their note-taking apps for creating a Second-brain knowledge management system”?

So, usually on YouTube / from other people, I know that this system is efficient for storing notes, especially because it is easy to understand and formalize I guess.

So you just take one of the head domains of your life and structure the information, related to that subject into categories inside.

So, we get the tree of the knowledge base of our life and we call this “🧠 Second brain”

# What do I think

## About that way of structuring
Well, this way of structuring works when we’d like to categorize some new batch of information that we’d like to analyze after. I mean… I think if somebody would give me a hundred lists of papers and ask me to provide a summary of this information or, you know, some numbers or statistics I would absolutely choose this way of structuring.

## But what about the Second brain? What should it give to me?
Well, I think that the Second brain is needed in case your First brain is quite loaded and you have to free your memory to think higher 🤩

## How does the brain retrieve something from the memory?
I think as most of you guys once I hear a quick melody of some song I recall the whole track in a moment or let’s say if I see a vague picture of somebody from my family I already know who is it.

If the brain is that quick and cool, so why don’t we use it? For example, my nested notes structure is one of next:
Entertainment -> Video editing -> Final Cut Pro -> Production -> Colors
Development -> Python -> Web frameworks -> FastAPI -> Authentication

If I need to work with colors on my video in Final Cut I can think about this in a moment but how long does it take to find this in my notes? I have to go through a long journey of categories to get it. I should know about all the categories of my structuring (which means that I have to remember the management system and at least the first 3–4 levels of structuring all the time or have a simple note about how to manage my knowledge base 😄)

So, do we have something better?
Well, from a brain perspective, it is way easier to have the next 2 notes without all the categories: “Final Cut Pro Production Colors” and “Fast API Authentication”.

Believe me, your brain will appreciate you on that.

## How do I use notes as a 🧠 Second brain?
Btw, if you think that I just create a tonne of notes and that like a real geek just go through all of that mass you’re wrong 😄

First of all, I think we do not need top categories since your brain can label your notes in a moment for you. Ask yourself if there are THAT many notes so you have to create a group for them. I think either it is not or there are too many old documents that are not for now or even anymore.

Probably you can find some notes that you think are overweight with information (pictures, colors, water…).

So this is the structure I think is better even in that case which contains only the documents that contain concrete information and the categories there I think not that important.

## But does it implement a 🧠 Second brain for me?
Not actually… I guess that all my brain needs is a bit more space to place the information and that’s it and also a Storage that does not forget anything and I would keep those things separate.

First I would create 2 spaces: Unsorted and Vault (labeled). The first place is just a mass of random tasks that represent your daily routine and some notes that are in progress. When the Labeled space is just a mass of your long-term notes that you already know how to mark within the knowledge base.

What is also interesting for me there, I think that people can fully categorize the note only after it’s finished which also adds more cons to the first way of structuring.

⚠️ P.S. You can call that Unsorted and Labeled are also categories that I wanted to avoid at the beginning but this article is more about the way of thinking when you store your tech notes, whatever.

## How do I use it?
My daily routine consists of a mass of unsorted notes which usually lose their value in a couple of days. If there is a note that is always in front of my eyes but I am not going to delete it I just label it and put it into the Vault.

Also, if I start working on a project I create a document for it which is in the Unsorted list until it’s completed.

If I have some idea of anything — I just create another sketch with my iPad and it is in my Unsorted 🎉

Either one month ahead or there are too many notes — cleaning. Just label notes that you’d like to keep or remove unused.

💡 Remember that categorizing is just a tool and if you have some complicated structures you still can use them simultaneously since your First brain can handle anything, I am sure :)

## Which tool?
Even if you use a phone, watch, tablet and PC for making notes please use any app that works the best on that device (we are not talking about synchronization). Your brain will remember that you made a note in another place but I would recommend using a single app just for simplicity.

# Summary

The general idea of this article — is do not forget to use your First brain along with the second…

Do not overcomplicate your management system before you need this.
You know about your categories only after the knowledge base is formed.
Focus on what you are currently doing instead of structuring.