second-brain

name	second-brain
description	Knowledge base for Building a Second Brain methodology using PARA, CODE, and MOC patterns in Obsidian

Second Brain Methodology

A Second Brain is an external, digital system for capturing, organizing, and retrieving knowledge so your biological brain is free to think rather than just remember. Coined by Tiago Forte in Building a Second Brain.

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🔄 The CODE Framework

The four stages of working with knowledge:

Stage	Description
Capture	Save anything that resonates — ideas, quotes, links, voice memos
Organize	Sort saved material into PARA (by actionability, not topic)
Distill	Highlight the most valuable bits; progressive summarization
Express	Use the material to produce something — a note, post, project, decision

Key principle: Organize by actionability, not by topic.

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📁 The PARA Method

Four and only four top-level folders. Everything in your digital life fits into one of them.

1. Projects (01 - Projects/)

Short-term efforts with a specific goal and deadline.

• Has a defined end state ("launch website", "plan trip to Japan")
• Active right now
• Each project gets its own subfolder with a Project MOC note

Examples: Redesign Portfolio, Buy Car, Plan Wedding

2. Areas (02 - Areas/)

Long-term responsibilities with no end date — maintained over time.

• Never "done", only maintained
• Represents a standard you want to uphold

Examples: Health, Finances, Career, Relationships, Learning

3. Resources (03 - Resources/)

Topics or interests you want to reference in the future.

• Not actionable right now
• Organized by topic/interest
• Notes from books, articles, courses, research

Examples: Web Development, Psychology, Coffee, Photography

4. Archives (04 - Archives/)

Inactive items from the other three categories.

• Completed or paused projects
• Areas no longer relevant
• Resources no longer of interest
• Nothing is ever permanently deleted — just archived

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🗺️ Maps of Content (MOC)

A Map of Content is an index note that links to all related notes on a topic. It provides a bird's-eye view without forcing rigid hierarchy.

When to create a MOC

• When you have 5+ notes on the same topic
• When you want a navigable entry point to a subject
• When a folder would otherwise become too large

MOC Template Structure

# [Topic] MOC

> One-sentence description of this topic.

## 🔗 Key Notes

- [[Note 1]]
- [[Note 2]]

## 📂 Sub-topics

- [[Sub-MOC 1]]

## 📚 Sources & References

- [[Book Note]]
- [[Article Note]]

## 💡 My Insights

_Summary of key takeaways or open questions._

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📝 Note Types

Type	Purpose	Lives In
Fleeting	Quick captures, raw thoughts	00 - Inbox/
Literature	Notes from a specific source (book/article)	Resources/
Permanent	Processed, atomic ideas in your own words	Areas/Resources/
Project	All material related to one active project	Projects/
MOC	Index/map linking related notes	Anywhere
Daily Note	Daily log, captures, tasks, reflections	Daily Notes/

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🏷️ Tagging Strategy

Use tags for cross-folder attributes, not for organization (that's what folders are for).

Recommended Tag Taxonomy

#type/fleeting
#type/literature
#type/permanent
#type/project
#type/moc

#status/active
#status/done
#status/someday
#status/archived

#area/health
#area/finance
#area/career
#area/learning

#source/book
#source/article
#source/video
#source/podcast
#source/course

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🔗 Linking Strategy

• Link liberally — when writing any note, ask "what else do I know that relates to this?"
• Use [[wikilinks]] to create bidirectional connections
• A note with no links is an orphan — always connect it to at least one MOC
• The Graph View in Obsidian reveals clusters of well-connected knowledge

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📅 Daily & Weekly Review Rituals

Daily Capture (5–10 min)

1. Open 📥 Inbox.md or today's Daily Note
2. Dump any fleeting thoughts, links, ideas
3. Process yesterday's inbox: move or discard each item

Weekly Review (30–60 min)

1. Clear Inbox — process all fleeting notes
2. Review Projects — update status, next actions
3. Review Areas — are you maintaining your standards?
4. Archive — move completed projects to 04 - Archives/
5. Update Weekly Note — log wins, blockers, lessons

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🏠 Dashboard / HOME Note

Every well-structured vault has a HOME.md as its entry point:

# 🏠 Home

> _"A place for everything, and everything in its place."_

## 🚀 Active Projects

- [[Project A]]
- [[Project B]]

## 🌱 Areas

- [[Health]] | [[Finances]] | [[Career]]

## 📚 Resource MOCs

- [[Web Development MOC]] | [[Psychology MOC]]

## 📅 Today

![[Daily Notes/{{date}}]]

## 📥 Inbox

[[Inbox]]

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🗂️ Recommended Vault Structure

📁 00 - Inbox/
📁 01 - Projects/
    📁 Project Name/
        📄 Project Name MOC.md
📁 02 - Areas/
    📁 Health/
    📁 Finances/
    📁 Career/
📁 03 - Resources/
    📁 Topic Name/
📁 04 - Archives/
    📁 Projects/
    📁 Areas/
📁 Daily Notes/
📁 Templates/
    📄 Project Template.md
    📄 Daily Note Template.md
    📄 Literature Note Template.md
    📄 MOC Template.md
📄 🏠 HOME.md
📄 📥 Inbox.md

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⚡ Key Principles

1. Capture first, organize later — never let perfect be the enemy of captured
2. One source of truth — each piece of info lives in one place
3. Progressive summarization — highlight on each re-read pass
4. Organize by actionability — PARA priority: Projects > Areas > Resources > Archives
5. Link generously — connections between ideas are more valuable than the ideas themselves
6. Review regularly — a second brain only works if you revisit it