Last year I had the honor of interviewing Tiago Forte, creator of Building a Second Brain. We spoke for almost an hour on how he became interested in the power of digital notes, discussed PARA as an organizing tool, and learned best practices for capturing information across mediums.

I’m glad to share that the written transcript of the interview is now posted on Public Libraries Online. Below is opening question and response.

PL: Please define what you mean by a Second Brain?

TF: Think of a diary or notebook. It is a creative, timeless practice to save your thoughts. Now make a few changes. You’re going to journal not just your own thoughts and reflections, but external sources of information. You hear a quote that resonates with you, write that down. You hear an interesting fact, write that down. You discover some research of interest, write that down. Next, make it digital so that it is on your smartphone and sync to the Cloud and all your devices. Now you can access it from anywhere, anytime.

With all the capabilities of technology, you can save, not just text, but images, links, web bookmarks, photographs, drawings, and sketches. Because it’s digital, it can be annotated, organized, and re-sorted. It can change with your needs and goals. Your Second Brain is a trusted place outside of your head where you save all of the ideas, insights reflections and realizations that are most important to you. It contains information that is personally relevant and meaningful. It contains moving and powerful life experiences, memories, and unique ways of seeing the world.

To learn more about other aspects of Building a Second Brain, such as the CORE approach, understanding the difference between projects and areas, and much more, please read the full interview on Public Libraries Online.