My Second Brain Is Also Kind of a Mess

Falling prey to the productivity industrial complex

My name is Chris, and I’m an appaholic.

Fortunately, I’m a functional one. In fact, it’s the apps that allow me to function.

They’re the keys to a discipline called Personal Knowledge Management. Rest easy, this isn’t the protocol our future alien overlords will put in place when they harvest our brains. Rather, it’s about how you collect and organize information.

PKM helps you create a digital “second brain,” where you store everything (ideas, notes, articles, records, receipts, etc.) and manage everything (projects, to-dos, schedules, trips, etc.).

This then frees up your mind to worry about things like that look Donna gave you in the staff meeting. What was that all about?

In theory, you’re building a process that works seamlessly with the way you think. In practice, I’ve found there to be plenty of seams, and my process is continually coming apart at them.

Still, with its promise of a smooth and frictionless life, PKM is a seductive concept.

Especially for someone like me. The inside of my head is a chaotic cyclone of shit, and I function best when everything outside of it is calm and uncluttered.

That applies to both my physical and digital spaces.

I need order. I love organization. I don’t want too many things around, and I want the ones that are around to be where they should be. This not only helps me to be more creative, but makes me a real joy to live with.

Unfortunately, PKM isn’t a once-and-done kind of thing. You don’t just put a process in place and use it indefinitely. You’re always tweaking it, looking for ways to do things even more efficiently. Which makes it a remarkably unproductive productivity method.

The apps I rely on the most sync across all my devices to help me run my life. PKM-mavens call this a productivity stack, which I first assumed was an IHOP combo meal that comes with three pots of coffee.

The problem is, there are always new apps vying to become the next big thing in their categories.

And existing apps that add new features to lure users away from other apps.

And apps changing their pricing models, often in an attempt to gaslight you into paying more for their half-assed AI integration.

It’s appalling.

I get why some people refuse to pay for apps, but I’d sooner give up caffeine, and that would kill me within a week. I don’t mind shelling out for apps that do their jobs better than their native counterparts. Most give you a free trial, so you don’t have to commit until you’re sure you need it, the way a child “needs” a seventh Batmobile because, well, I just do, mom!

That’s how I ended up with six notes apps. Notes apps are the heart of the second brain, which is as accurate as it is anatomically confusing. I’ve been using one of those six exclusively for four years, but I’ve tried them all.

I can’t see switching anytime in the near future, but I keep the others around like old shirts I kind of like but haven’t worn in years. Every once in a while I’ll try one on to see if it appeals to me more than the last time, but the fit is always off.

Most notes apps are trying to be your One App to Rule Them All, incorporating calendars, task management, database capabilities, team sharing, and web clippers. I hear a couple offer happy endings, but those require premium subscriptions.

No app has mastered that all-in-one level of excellence yet, so you need additional dedicated apps.

It’s exhausting. How are you supposed to keep up with it all?

This is where things get even more ridiculous, and I say that as an enthusiastic participant.

I consume tech videos the way some people binge on clips of cats or reels of Karens getting their comeuppances. Most of these are created by people who review apps and gadgets for a living.

Then there are the app-specific user forums on Reddit, Discord, or Slack. And the communications from the software companies themselves.

All in all, I spend about 16 hours a day not using these apps in an effort to make sure that I should be using them. I’m like a snake swallowing its tail while pushing a boulder up a mountain.

Once you’ve reached some level of acceptance with your app situation, then you can focus on how best to use them. There are hordes of people who’ve built a pretty good life for themselves by telling you how to organize yours.

Many online gurus preach a very old method that’s made the jump from analog to digital called Zettelkasten. It’s even harder to follow than it is to spell.

Then there are the alphabet soup guys.

The first one I became aware of is Getting Things Done (GTD), invented by David Allen. He describes it as “a personal productivity methodology that redefines how you approach your life and work,” and he breaks it out into five steps: Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect, and Engage.

More recently, Tiago Forte wrote a popular book about a method he created called PARA. That stands for Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. He says it’s “the simple system for organizing your digital life in seconds.”

Tom Solid, who runs a site called Paperless Movement, designed a system called ICOR: Input, Control, Output, Refine.

Personally, I never cottoned to the term “paperless movement,” as it brings back memories of a traumatic event from my elementary school bathroom.

I read Forte’s first book, Building a Second Brain, and subscribe to his YouTube channel. I subscribe to Solid’s channel as well. And I’ve watched and read a lot of things about the other methods, along with variations that other productivity nerds employ.

So, which one do I use?

None of them.

I create folders and put things in them in a way that makes sense to me. These other methods don’t fit how I think. But I have to learn about them, or how will I know if there’s a better system out there? What if I’m missing out? Don’t you see? DON’T YOU?

Even with my own method, I still can’t find everything I need in my notes app when I need it. I sometimes leave things unfiled, or forget to put things in there altogether. This is incontrovertible proof that my second brain really is an extension of my first one.

I know. All of this is patently absurd. I rationalize it by calling it a hobby. I have to, because I spend more time researching the best ways to do things than actually doing them.

Some people get engrossed in sports—watching every game, poring over stats, and spending hours doing whatever it is they do in fantasy leagues. At least my hobby has the appearance of productivity to it.

And if it starts to overtake my life and eats up time that I should be spending bathing or exposing my skin to sunlight, I can rein it in. I can avoid using certain apps by making them impossible to open for a given period of time.

As you may have guessed, there’s an app for that.

What’s Better Than a Funny Story?

Two of them! That’s why you should tune in to the Substack Live that Shelly Mazzanoble and I do, where we regale each other with an oddball story we’ve plucked from the news. Hilarity ensues. (Seriously. There’s hilarity)

Join us live on Tuesday, August 12, at 3 pm Eastern/12 pm Pacific. Or you can watch the replay anytime.