Start your Second Brain: A Quick Guide for Staff Engineers

Staff Engineers!

Are you overwhelmed by the constant need to learn & adapt?

AI's making it worse, right?

Time to build your Second Brain! 🧠

Here's a quick start guide:

1. Pick ANY note-taking app (I use Obsidian)

2. Create 3 folders:

   1. Inbox: Quick capture - save anything worth keeping.

   2. Reference: Curated highlights from your sources - only what resonates.

   3. Notes: Think & write in YOUR words from your reference.

3. [Optional] Add 2 more folders:

   1. Projects: Track tasks & ideas per role or project area.

   2. Journal: Brain dumps & life homework

Remember, the goal isn't just to collect info - it's to facilitate LEARNING. 🎓

AI + Your Second Brain = Augmented Engineer

Once you've built your knowledge repository, use AI to supercharge it through distillation (not generation).

Don't let information overwhelm you. Start your Second Brain today and let your knowledge compound over time! 💪

Key Lessons:

1. Building a "second brain" through structured note-taking can significantly enhance your ability to learn and adapt in a rapidly changing industry.

2. The primary goal of a second brain is to facilitate understanding, not just collect information.

3. A simple strategy for starting a second brain involves using three folders: Inbox (for quick capture), Reference (for curated highlights), and Notes (for personal insights).

4. Linking ideas across different notes can lead to novel insights and help trigger memories of valuable past information.

5. Combining a second brain with AI tools can create a powerful system for distillation and problem-solving.

Links:

I trained a local LLM on my Obsidian, here's what I learned

How To Be A Consistent Learner

#27 - How to take Smart Notes to Build your Second Brain

Timeline:

[00:00:43] - The challenge of keeping up with rapidly changing technology and the importance of continuous learning

[00:01:25] - The purpose of a second brain: facilitating understanding and learning

[00:02:11] - Simple method to start a second brain: choosing a note-taking app and creating three folders (Inbox, Notes, Reference)

[00:03:20] - The importance of making capture easy and friction-free

[00:03:56] - Explanation of the Reference folder for curating highlights from various sources

[00:04:46] - Discussion of the Notes folder and the importance of writing in your own words

[00:05:35] - Recap of the simple three-folder strategy for second brains

[00:05:58] - Introduction to a more advanced method with additional folders for Projects and Journals

[00:07:44] - Combining various note-taking systems (Zettelkasten, PARA, GTD) into a five-folder structure

[00:08:54] - The potential of combining a second brain with AI for powerful information processing and problem-solving

[00:09:33] - Encouragement to get started with a second brain and invest in learning tools