The Role of Consultants: Rapid Learning and Knowledge Application

In this session, Will Bachman and Tiago Forte discuss Tiago's new book Building a Second Brain. They discuss how the concept provides value and work through each key learning aspect, the importance of using note-taking apps, including CODE and Para. Tiago talks about the background that led to the creation of the book and how it was strongly shaped by his experience in consulting.

Tiago shares his background as a junior project analyst at a boutique consulting firm called FaberNovel, where he learned the business model of consulting. Consultants are rapid learners, learning new things about the market, landscape, competitive arena, and internal aspects of clients. They must learn the client's culture, power structure, priorities, and communication preferences quickly and use as few billable hours as possible. Tiago emphasizes that consultants must bring their best thinking to the table every day, as they are being paid to think. The results of their efforts are based on the quality of their thinking. He explains that once they learn a subject, they must apply it to as many projects and clients as possible to be profitable as a consulting firm.

Absorbing, analyzing, and applying creative thinking to the client's problem is the overall triangle, but within the bigger picture are many time consuming and expensive research branches, each of which must be understood and analyzed at speed. Gathering, keeping track of and accessing the information needed – quickly – is essential, and this essentially begins with note-taking.

The Development of the Knowledge Repository

Tiago started taking notes professionally, realizing that his effectiveness as a professional and results for clients, in addition to quality of life depended on his ability to be efficient.

He talks about the development of the principles in building a second brain, and how they can be applied to management consulting assignments, such as market landscape studies, focusing on the client's culture, power structure, priorities, and communication preferences. By doing so, consultants can improve their effectiveness, results, save time, and ensure quality thinking again and again.

He discusses the core principles of creativity and how they can be repurposed for various purposes. He shares his model, CODE, which is a simple framework designed to be universal across any profession. He outlines each stage of CODE. The first step involves capturing ideas and knowledge in various formats, such as photographs, sketches, drawings, text, and web bookmarks. Once captured, it is organized into groups based on the project, client, or aspect of the business. The next step is distilling the information into its essence, refinement, and synthesizing it into main takeaways or highlights. This process is essential for finding the signal in the noise of information, which is crucial for effective note-taking. The final stage is express, where the knowledge is shared in various forms such as writing, speaking, presenting, designing, building, launching, publishing, sharing, and selling.

Tiago suggests that people should start by capturing their thoughts and ideas, and recommends tools like Evernote, and other note-taking apps. He also mentions the Second Brain Resource Guide, which provides resources and a comprehensive list of links, tools, and apps for capturing information, including saving quotes from podcasts, transcription tools, and includes a few tips on using Kindle and YouTube.

In conclusion, the core principles of creativity and note-taking are essential for effective note-taking and knowledge management. By following these principles, individuals can create valuable content and share their knowledge effectively.

Communication Skills at Work

Tiago emphasizes the importance of distilling notes to retain their essence. He explains that humans are sensitive to the presentation of information and explains how even small changes to a website can have significant impacts on people's behavior. He suggests a method called progressive summarization, which involves highlighting key points or elements that matter to the reader.

He explains that when taking notes, it is essential to focus on the highlights that resonate with the reader and make them feel more connected to the content. This approach helps readers remember the important details and make better decisions about how to present information.

Tiago also discusses the concept of progressive summarization, which involves highlighting key points or elements that are important for lifelong learning as opposed to a short term project. He shares a tutorial on how to do this on his blog and talks about how to select necessary information and what should be set aside. He talks about how your personal energy levels affect note-taking and how to use the second brain approach on bad days to maximize potential outcomes and save energy for higher level decision-making processes. Tiago also introduces the benefits of using intuition and how to apply it.

Tiago explains the generative effect, which refers to the idea that once you start publishing or creating content, you get more ideas and better ideas, and shares his own journey of having a scarcity-driven view of creativity. However, he states that creativity is the opposite; the more you use it, the more you express it, and put it out there, the more it generates. He emphasizes that, by practicing intuition and embracing the generative effect, you can improve your decision-making, creativity, and wisdom in the real world.

Tiago runs through how he uses Evernote and how he creates clear separation and distinctions between his first and second brains, making it easier to focus on one task at a time. He talks about organizing and distilling a large amount of material into a final published or significant piece of content. He explains the framework PARA and how he uses it.

Q & A Session on Building a Second Brain

In the Q & A session, Tiago answers questions on the following topics:

• Dealing with analysis paralysis

• How to segregate material

• Identifying the basic building blocks

• The value of taking two notes a day

• Reshaping knowledge

• The paradox of research

• Categorization of notes

• This philosophical mindset question

Links:

The Second Brain website: https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/

Forte Labs blog: https://fortelabs.com/blog/basboverview/

Email: https://fortelabs.com/subscribe/

Timestamps:

07:46 Creativity and productivity using the "code" framework

12:55 Capturing information and building a second brain with Evernote and other tools

17:24 Audio rep revolution, video revolution, and distillation techniques

24:46 Designing a note-taking system for productivity

29:27 Creativity, note-taking, and a second brain system

35:14 Capturing and organizing creative ideas using a second brain

40:20 Organizing notes and creating content

45:28 Organizing notes and research without attaching them to specific projects

53:09 Building a second brain through note-taking and organization

Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.