If there’s one thing we’ve learned from David Allen’s fantastic book, “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity,” it’s that relying on our memory to remember tasks is not the way to go. Instead, we should rely on an external system to capture and organize our to-do lists and relevant notes. This frees up our mental resources and allows us to focus on creating value, reducing stress in the process.
Allen’s book was originally published in 2002 when paper-based systems were the norm. Today, there are many digital tools available, such as Asana and Trello, to manage to-do lists. While these tools are great for basic task management, they often struggle with capturing complex ideas and supporting non-trivial tasks. And let’s face it, most of the interesting and valuable work falls into this category.
So, what features and qualities should we look for in tools that can meet these needs?
The Power of Connected Thinking
According to Steven Johnson’s book, “Where Good Ideas Come From,” one effective way to nurture our intuitions is by taking notes. This practice became popular during the Enlightenment period with the use of “commonplace books” – journals where people wrote down ideas, intuitions, and excerpts from books. The books didn’t follow a rigid structure, encouraging seemingly unrelated intuitions to coexist and interact. However, they did have an index so that passages on a particular subject could be easily found.
What you need is a place to record all your intuitions and ideas, connect them to relevant topics, and be able to retrieve them later – whether actively or serendipitously.
One well-established method for achieving this is the Zettelkasten, developed by Conrad Gessner in the 16th century. It involves individual index cards containing ideas and other short snippets of information, written down as they appear or are acquired. The cards are hierarchically numbered, allowing new cards to be inserted in the appropriate place, and contain metadata to help associate them with other cards.
While the Zettelkasten is not the only solution – you can consult the Wikipedia article on personal knowledge management for more options – the basic principles are generally the same.
Modern Tools for Connected Thinking
There has been an explosion of software tools to support the building of a “second brain” – a term used to describe an external system for storing and organizing knowledge. One such tool is Roam Research.
Roam Research bills itself as “a note-taking tool for networked thought. As easy to use as a document. As powerful as a graph database. Roam helps you organize your research for the long haul.” Despite its monthly subscription fee, Roam has proven to be extremely useful, making it worth the investment.
One of the standout features of Roam is its simplicity in creating pages and linking them together. For example, you can simply type the name of a page between double brackets or precede it with the pound sign (#) to create a link. Roam provides autocomplete suggestions, and if the page doesn’t exist, it will be created instantly. No need to navigate through menus to “create a new page.”
Another feature that sets Roam apart is the automatically generated “Daily Notes” page. Each day starts with a blank page where you can quickly jot down notes and link them to existing pages and ideas.
By leveraging the ease of linking ideas, I have revolutionized my book management workflow. Using my Kindle, I highlight sections and take notes as I read. Then, I import all my Kindle notes into Roam using a script I wrote. I review these notes in Roam and rewrite them in my own “Book Notes,” some of which are later published. With the ability to create links between book notes and individual concepts as I read, I can efficiently “pre-link” ideas. For example, if I come across a great section on meditation that I want to save for future reference, I simply add a note with #Meditation in Kindle. When I import these notes into Roam, a bidirectional link between the book notes and my “Meditation” page is automatically created.
While Roam has been a game-changer, it’s not perfect. One challenge I face is tracking tasks. While I believe tasks and notes should coexist, I haven’t found a simple and reliable way in Roam to answer the question, “Show me a list of everything I need to do, sorted by due date, and allow me to filter by project.” While I can navigate to the TODO page and apply filters, it’s not as clear as the task view in Asana. Additionally, Roam lacks the ability to create recurring tasks, which Asana handles well. As a result, I manage due date tasks in Asana and everything else in Roam.
I also miss the “Outline” feature in Google Docs, which allows me to quickly jump to any section with a single click. Implementing a similar feature in Roam should be straightforward, but it’s currently missing.
Another strength of Google Docs is the ability to easily share documents and receive comments on specific paragraphs or even sentences. I don’t see an easy way to achieve this level of commenting in Roam.
The loading times in Roam can be quite slow, and the animation during loading appears slightly off-kilter, which bothers my inner perfectionist. At present, there is no official Roam mobile app, so I take notes on the go using Google Keep, transferring them to Roam on my computer when necessary.
While Roam is not officially in beta, it still feels like a work in progress. However, considering the value it provides, I remain a loyal subscriber.
We generate and process more information than ever before, and this trend is accelerating. Trying to keep all this information in our heads is not reasonable – the pace of evolution far exceeds the capabilities of our biological brains. Those who find effective ways to store, retrieve, connect, and interact with knowledge outside the limitations of their brains will have a significant advantage over those who don’t.
That’s why I’m building a “second brain” outside my biological body, and so far, Roam has been my preferred method for doing so. While there is still room for improvement, I have found Roam to be incredibly helpful, and I’m a fan.
There are many other tools and approaches for building a “second brain.” You can check out the links below for more information. Roam paved the way for the concept of backlinks, and numerous software options have emerged based on this idea.
So, how do you keep track of what you know?
Approaches to personal knowledge management:
Software for connected thinking and personal knowledge management:
- Roam Research
- Athens Research
- Tiddlywiki with the Stroll plugin
- Zettlr
- Obsidian
- Coda
- Logseq
- Linkist
- Dendron
- Emvi
- Notion
- Evernote
- Comparison of Note-Taking Software on Wikipedia
- A very extensive list of networked note-taking apps
And as an excellent example, check out Nikita Voloboev’s “Everything I Know” wiki.
For more information about building a “second brain,” visit Crawlan.com, where you’ll find valuable insights and resources to help you stay organized and boost your productivity.
Remember, the key to success lies in the efficient management of your knowledge, and the right tools can make a world of difference. So, get started with Crawlan.com today and unlock the full potential of your brain!
