Sam Thomas Davies Profile picture
Jun 18, 2022 6 tweets 3 min read Read on X
I’ve been following Tiago Forte’s advice on digital notetaking for a long, long time.

And I owe a lot to him and his writing at @fortelabs.

With the long-awaited release of his book, “Building a Second Brain,” I want to share 4 ways I use @NotionHQ to manage my Second Brain 🧠
1. Books

For each nonfiction book I read, I write a brief but concise summary and add it to a page in a dedicated Notion database.

Within that database, I can filter my summaries by "Rating," sort by “Last Updated,” search by keyword, and more. Image
2. Podcasts

I write down every podcast I listen to.

Why?

Rating each podcast I listen to ensures that I return to the best episodes regularly.

Fun fact:

@RobertGreene's interview on @TKPPodcast is one of three podcasts I’ve rated “Must-Listen.” Image
3. Articles

If I read an article that relates to a project I’m working on or an area I’m responsible for, I add it to Notion.

Then, I use Progressive Summarization to make the note more discoverable for my future self. Image
4. Twitter Threads

I learn a lot from following people I admire on Twitter.

But I learn more from capturing and studying their best Twitter threads.

Here’s my 3-step process, simplified:

• Compile with @threadreaderapp
• Add to Notion
• Tag by “Source” and “Topic(s)” Image
And that’s it!

If you’re interested in learning the big ideas from “Building a Second Brain,” read my free summary here:

samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries…

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More from @SamThomasDavies

Nov 2, 2022
Dan Kennedy was once the highest-paid copywriter in America.

People paid $2,000 to attend his seminars—including his famous Copywriting Mastery workshop.

In it, Dan provided a checklist of 10 questions to ask about their customers and prospects.

Here it is (in full):

🧵
Smart Market Diagnosis and Profiling Question #01:

What keeps them awake at night, indigestion boiling up their esophagus, eyes open, staring at the ceiling?
Smart Market Diagnosis and Profiling Question #02:

What are they afraid of?
Read 12 tweets
Jun 20, 2022
In his book, “Building a Second Brain,” Tiago Forte (@fortelabs) introduces a four-part method for building a Second Brain called “CODE.”

• Capture
• Organize
• Distill
• Express

Here’s how I used CODE to write a book summary for “Building a Second Brain.” 🧠
1. Capture

I first captured my notes and highlights on Kindle. Image
2. Organize

I then organized everything in Google Docs, removing instances of “Yellow highlight | Location: [#]” and editing for clarity and brevity. Image
Read 6 tweets
Dec 24, 2021
I bought 48 Kindle books in 2021.

But rarely did I pay full price.

Here’s a little-known way of buying Kindle books at a discount 👇
First, go to Amazon > Your Account > Your Lists.

Then, click “Create a List” and give it a name.

I call mine “Books to Read.” Image
Then, when you discover a book that you might like to read, add it to your wishlist.

Ideally, you want to build as big a wish list as possible. This is important later.
Read 9 tweets
Nov 29, 2021
I’ve written more than 130 book summaries 📚

That’s given me a lot of time to learn how to summarize books—the right way.

Here’s how I remember what I read 👇
1. Read on the Amazon Kindle App.

Take lots of notes and make highlights as you’re reading.

Reading is a two-way conversation to paraphrase Ryan Holiday.

Leave breadcrumbs for your future self.

2. Export Notes and Highlights to Notion.

Go to read.amazon.com/notebook

Copy all notes and highlights and paste them into a Notion page.

Remove instances of “Yellow highlight | Page: [#].”
Read 8 tweets
Nov 16, 2021
“I will not die on a treadmill.”

Will Smith once said a “sickening work ethic” was the key to his incredible success.

But much of his willingness to work hard can be traced back to a single lesson he learned as a child...

(Story cont.) 👇 Image
When Will Smith was eleven years old, his father, Daddio, decided he needed a new wall—roughly twelve feet high by twenty feet long—on the front of his shop.

But rather than hire a contractor, Daddio thought it would be a good project for Will and his little brother, Harry.
Every day, for almost an entire year, the boys worked on the wall, doing everything themselves, without taking a day off.

“There were so many times I remember looking at that hole, totally discouraged,” Smith recalls. “I couldn’t see how this was ever going to end.”
Read 10 tweets

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