Tiago Forte

>For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough. Now, this eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. As a trusted and organized digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes, and creative work synced across all your devices and platforms, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals. Discover the full potential of your ideas and translate what you know into more powerful, more meaningful improvements in your work and life by Building a Second Brain.

After returning from the Peace Corps in 2011, Tiago Forte moved to San Francisco to join a product development consulting firm. There he learned the power of design in helping some of the world’s most innovative companies bring new products to market. Working amidst technology startups in the heart of Silicon Valley, and later starting his own productivity training business, Forte Labs, he became obsessed with a single “What is the future of work?” Design Your Work chronicles his journey to answer that question, in 16 essays written between 2014 and 2016. Previously published on the Praxis blog, they’ve been edited and updated here for clarity and accuracy. The essays touch on topics ranging from meditation to science fiction, habit formation to network science, metaphysics to gratitude, organizational theory to email workflows, innovation to mood-hacking, and much more. Tiago’s writing reflects his unusual ability to connect the abstract and the practical, and converges on a the theory and practice of modern knowledge work − how it is defined, how it is practiced, and how it is evolving. This collection explores an overarching that you can design your work. You can adapt, tweak, customize, and reframe any part of it, from how you process emails, to how you organize information, to how you structure your attention, to how you measure your performance.