I was introduced to Obsidian about 6 months ago for building a second brain. I still feel very new to it's possibilities, but one feature I like is its ability to link notes together in any way I choose.
Love the article Mark! I’m a huge fan of Luhman’s technique, the PARA System and plain old paper journals. I was wondering: how do you reconcile the physical notes you take and the digital?
I find it tricky or at least procrastinate on all the notecards of the slipbox to digitize.
I've been building my second brain since last fall, but filled with notes since 2021. It's been a rewarding experience. I've found that you should start with the simplest system possible and iterate only when necessary. Avoid premature optimization!
Sharing this question I received on email, and my response:
QUESTION: "I have one question about the image in your post. The timeline on the left -- was it written before the day started or at the end of the day as a summary of what happened?"
MY RESPONSE: Such a good question about the timeline. Wow, I didn’t think anyone would actually read my journal page!
The timeline is a thing I do that I developed on my own, and I think it might be worth writing about. I have worked hard over the years to integrate meditation into my *entire* day. Yet, despite a regular routine in the morning, so often, I get to the end of the day, and it slipped away.
So, in part inspired by Sam Harris’ Waking Up app, I started to set a goal to pause 3 times a day. Then 6. Now, on most days, I pause 10+ more times a day, sometimes just for moments. When I do, I write it down.
So the things with the boxes are “to do” at the start of the day; each pause, at the left, is a mindfulness break (you can see the time of day for each).
Lots of discussion and comments on this one on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/markwpalmer_how-to-build-a-second-brain-activity-7168601799866703872-pltn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
I was introduced to Obsidian about 6 months ago for building a second brain. I still feel very new to it's possibilities, but one feature I like is its ability to link notes together in any way I choose.
Have you tried it, what do you think?
Mine is about 97 substack drafts, 50+ digital sticky notes on my desktop and about 150 open browser tabs.
Love the article Mark! I’m a huge fan of Luhman’s technique, the PARA System and plain old paper journals. I was wondering: how do you reconcile the physical notes you take and the digital?
I find it tricky or at least procrastinate on all the notecards of the slipbox to digitize.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
I've been building my second brain since last fall, but filled with notes since 2021. It's been a rewarding experience. I've found that you should start with the simplest system possible and iterate only when necessary. Avoid premature optimization!
Sharing this question I received on email, and my response:
QUESTION: "I have one question about the image in your post. The timeline on the left -- was it written before the day started or at the end of the day as a summary of what happened?"
MY RESPONSE: Such a good question about the timeline. Wow, I didn’t think anyone would actually read my journal page!
The timeline is a thing I do that I developed on my own, and I think it might be worth writing about. I have worked hard over the years to integrate meditation into my *entire* day. Yet, despite a regular routine in the morning, so often, I get to the end of the day, and it slipped away.
So, in part inspired by Sam Harris’ Waking Up app, I started to set a goal to pause 3 times a day. Then 6. Now, on most days, I pause 10+ more times a day, sometimes just for moments. When I do, I write it down.
So the things with the boxes are “to do” at the start of the day; each pause, at the left, is a mindfulness break (you can see the time of day for each).