Do You Really Need a “Second Brain”?
In a world overflowing with information, tools, and apps, the concept of a “second brain” keeps coming up—a system to store our thoughts, ideas, and tasks. Apps like Notion, Evernote, or Obsidian promise to organize our lives and boost productivity. But which one is the best for you? And how can you even decide?
You Don’t Actually Need a “Second Brain”
The idea of a second brain sounds tempting: everything you know or could know, collected in one place—like an external hard drive for your memory.
When you want to learn something new, a common approach is to gather all relevant information on the topic in your notes. That’s useful, but it’s not enough. From my personal experience, I can say: the truly effective method is to create something and then share it with the world.
Taking notes is a relatively easy process—it barely taxes your brain. But when you try to generate output by organizing and expressing what you’ve learned in your own words, it gets much harder. This process is exhausting and mentally demanding. But we should embrace it! Because it’s this effort that drives the most progress.
The point of jotting things down in a notebook isn’t to collect for the sake of collecting. Storing information isn’t an end in itself—it’s a means to create. That’s why you don’t actually need a “second brain.” What you really need is a set of productivity tools that supports and streamlines the process of generating output.
Store Less, Publish More
If we accept that the purpose of storing information is to produce output, the question becomes: What should you even write down? My answer: Only what serves your output. The input—the information you collect—shouldn’t blindly include everything you come across. Instead, it should be guided by the output you want to achieve.
Go Public Is the End of a Project
“Go public” means freeing your project from isolation: it moves from a state where only you can access it to one where it’s visible to everyone. Your work—whether it’s a text, a design, or an idea—becomes accessible and opens up to interaction. This is the crucial step to completing a project, because only now can it meet the world.
Your work might go unnoticed, or it might not interest anyone. But unexpected successes are just as possible: inspiring feedback, a new collaboration, or an idea that gets carried forward. “Going public” is the end of a project because it releases your work from your mind and your notes—giving it the chance to make an impact. Your productivity tools should encourage you to take this leap. Store less, share more—that’s what brings ideas to life.
And what you’re reading now is one such project: a spark of inspiration I turned into an article, now shared with you.
Thank you for taking the time to explore data-related insights with me. I appreciate your engagement. If you find this information helpful, I invite you to follow me or connect with me on LinkedIn. Happy exploring!👋
