Build a Library of Your Own Books

If you’ve planned on, or you currently consider yourself an entrepreneur, you’ve probably fallen into the “second-brain” trap.

I remember when I first got invested in the idea of building a business, my first goal was to increase my productivity. Meditating, reading books, journaling - anything I could do to boost my “productivity”. Most of this info came from self-improvement YouTubers.

Then came the second brain. There was a big note-taking community movement in 2022, about the time when I wanted to start taking business and copywriting seriously. In summary, there was a big movement of people building “second brains”. The face of all this was Tiago Forte.

He was a productivity creator and note-taking guru, who went online to talk about the benefits and systems of note-taking and “capturing ideas”.

I was hooked.

I thought, well, before I do anything, I have to make sure I’ve got a good system in place now. That way, I don’t have to go back and worry about clutter or disorganization.

Long story short, I spent months trying to find and implement the best second-brain possible. I bought Tiago’s book, watched his YouTube videos, and caught up with other creators’ teachings in the space.

The Problem With Building A Second Brain

I have nothing against Tiago, or his book. I think his systems are genius, his organization is on another level, and if you need any pointers on taking notes, he’s “the man”.

But there’s an underlying problem with The Second Brain. It’s easy to read a video like this, dwell upon the dream of having a perfect system and setup for productivity. It’s also super easy to do all that and forget the main purpose.

My problem is that the Second Brain can be counter intuitive. Your intentions may be out of genuine desire to get more things done. The problem is that many people, including me when I was starting, is that they get trapped in the never ending spiral of pursuing the perfect second brain productivity setup.

You’re better off ditching that crap, opening Apple Notes, making a checklist, and using that instead.

And I say this a lot, but I mean it: this is generic advice. There’s already a big “counter-movement” of people online saying the exact same thing.

Here’s where my argument is different. This is my synthesis of the thesis and anti-thesis of the second brain:

The Problem With Not Having A Second Brain

Unlike before when I first wanted a second brain back in 2022, fast forward about two years later, I am a writer. I write these blogs, I write tweets, I write copy for my clients, I write papers for school. I write.

And here’s the blatant fact: writers need input.

The whole role of a writer, the way I see it, is to take somebody else’s idea, combine it with their personal nuance, repackage it, and put it out for the world to see.

Without things to write about, that role starts to fall apart. That’s why daily, we need to input our mind with unique ideas, so that we will always have things to write about.

I noticed that without a system in place, writing became harder. Because you need a system of saving and storing your ideas for later use. That’s what note-taking is for.

As time has gone on, my note taking styles and systems have evolved. At first I used just Apple Notes, from there I added on Notion, and now Obsidian is part of my workflow (I’m writing this newsletter on it rn).

So everybody, even if you aren’t a writer, needs a Second Brain. Students, workplace professionals, parents, leaders, they all need places to store high quality ideas.

But you need to do it right.

Here is my note-taking philosophy:

(in a nutshell)

Why You Should Take Notes

You don’t build a house without a foundation.

No, every single house has a strong foundation underneath it.

I see this like writing:

You don’t write without good ideas.

There’s never been a good piece,

That has been written without a good idea under it.

Good ideas lay the foundation for everything you write.

That’s why it’s crucial you take notes on everything.

Your input will determine your output.

In other words,

The notes you take,

The ideas you collect,

…Will determine the writing you write.

What To Take Notes On

List your top 10 favorite creators.

Authors,

X writers,

YouTubers,

Whoever.

List those people out and put them on a document.

You know how people say:

“Your the average of the 10 people you spend the most time with”

Right? Well the same applied to content:

Your content is the average of the 10 creators you read and watch.

So don’t passively watch these people,

STUDY their work.

Mark it up, analyze it. Passively consume what they produce.

Study their systems and structures.

These are the things you consume.

These are the things you take notes on.

How To Take Notes

There’s two main types of note taking methods:

The first method is something I call “**Passive Notes**”

These simply are notes that tell you what the piece is saying.

It could be a direct quote,

Or it could be a paraphrased piece.

In both occasion the goal remains same: summarize what is being said.

These notes help you understand what is being said quicker,

Let’s say you had to revisit a source. Passive notes help.

The second method is something I call “**Application Notes”**

This is when you read something,

Find it directly applicable to your unique situation,

And write it in a completely unique way in your note.

These notes I use for content ideas.

Where To Take Notes

There a lot of note taking apps.

Here are the 3 main note taking apps I use:

1. Apple Notes

This is my catch-all and daily tracker.

I track my habits, and log general ideas here.

It’s simple but powerful.

2. Notion

Templates and systems are Notion’s strong suit.

Right now, it’s where I outline newsletters,

Capture ideas, and maintain my business systems.

3. Obsidian

This is slowly becoming my new knowledge management platform.

I am only using it a little now,

But i plan on making the bank for all my ideas and writing.

What To Do With Your Notes

Some ideas have more depth than others.

Here’s my system for organizing and applying all of my notes.

1. Sort out all of your notes.

Have a section in your notes app for the following:

- Catch-all inbox

- YT vid notes

- Book notes

- Content ideas

- Miscellaneous

(feel free to add as many sections as you’d like)

2. Put ideas with depth into content ideas.

The ideas you feel you have a strong connection with,

Or could talk about a lot,

Put them in a respective folder,

Inside the “Content Ideas” folder.

3. Sort Content Ideas folder

Keep the more “packed” ideas inside Long-form folders.

And have all the small little platitudes in “tweet ideas” or etc.

This 3-step system will keep all your ideas organized.

Make sure to go through every week and do some maintenance to keep everything together.

Turn Your Ideas Into Content

Content = Notes + Nuance

That is the basic formula for creating content.

You can use it with any of your ideas.

- Take the idea

- Think about it

- Make connections to your personal life

- And make the idea unique

That is curating content in the simplest form.

Creating content isn’t just about rewording things.

It’s about having ideas that have personal “depth” to them.

As long as you have a good list of ideas:

Use this and never run out of content again.

Off The Page - Edition 1

I’m gonna name this section after the body. I’m gonna call it “Off The Page”. You don’t have to read it, but it’ll give you a bit more info & news for whats to come. Maybe a bit of ideas off the top of my head too.

This post had a longer intro, but regardless I hope you enjoyed.

I’m currently in between transitioning all my content processes from Notion into Obsidian. It seemed appropriate to touch on my note-taking philosophy, especially since I have to reflect on it to improve it anyways.

If you haven’t already noticed, my newsletter is currently structured something like this: Long and loose intro —> Lead/transition —> Tweet-style long forms in a 6-point list. I do this to repurpose the body of the newsletter as tweets. My thought is that is keeps it unique and also keeps the pace fast. I’m gonna experiment though and watch my open rates. I’ll see where it goes 🤷‍♂️.

All right, that’s all for this week.

Peace.

Nathan “noted” K.