Hi learners,

for a world of information overflow the idea, building a second brain seems like the solution. Storing everything you want to remember in a well-organized note-taking system seems tempting.

Tiago Forte, digital knowledge management evangelist, writes: "Your professional success and quality of life directly depend on your ability to manage the information around you"

So far so convincing. But he goes on with a claim that would make learning scientists frown:

"Now, it’s time to acknowledge that we can’t “use our head” to store everything we need to know, and outsource the job of remembering to technology."

As much as I want to belief this claim, learning science shows its underlying hypothesis is flawed.

Let me explain:

1) You can indeed use your head to store everything you need to know.

Every felt your brain is juggling too many pieces at a time? What can feel like being "full" is your working-memory. Meanwhile, your long-term memory capacity is vast.

In fact, knowledge begets knowledge. Learning is a virtuous circle. The more you learn, the more you can remember.

​Radvansky, a researcher for human cognition, explains how learning depends on memory processes.

Previously-stored knowledge functions as a framework in which newly learned information can be linked. Every time you learn something new you create new branches. The more branches (cues) you have, the easier it is to encode new information to them (for example through elaboration or visualization).

Your long-term memory is made for storing everything you need to know (and forgetting what you don't need).

2) You can't outsource your memory to technology.

Tiago says that it's time to outsource the job of remembering to technology. But according to scientists current understanding of learning, this is wrong.

​Daisy Christodoulou writes: "So when we want to solve a problem, we hold all the information relating to the problem in working memory. Unfortunately, working memory is highly limited. There is some debate in the literature about exactly how limited working memory is, but some of the most recent research suggests that it may be limited to as few as three or four items."

You can only hold three to six items in your short-term memory. When you look something up (e.g. in your second brain on Evernote) you use up the limited space and not much capacity is left to process the new information or to combine it with existing things so you have new ideas.

Christodoulou continues:"Our long-term memory does not have the same limitations as working memory. It is capable of storing thousands of pieces of information. We can summon up the information from long-term memory to working memory without imposing a cognitive load."

The goal of fact-learning with your first brain is not to memorize just one random fact – it is to learn thousands, which taken together form a schema (SKIMA) that helps you solve problems and develop ideas without the restrictions of your working memory.

So should you ditch your note-taking system? You shouldn't.

Your personal knowledge library can help you research and discover insights you forgot. Yet, don't fall to the illusion of developing a second brain. You only have one brain, and it's brilliant. Don't dump brilliant ideas into your digital tool, but memorize them (e.g. through spaced practice with computerized flashcard programs).

Happy Learning :-)

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Learning Nuggets

✨ 0.1% of resources that will give you 90% of the value

The Lindy Effect is the idea that the older something is, the longer it's likely to be around in the future. In Antifragile, Taleb explains: “For the perishable, every additional day in its life translates into a shorter additional life expectancy. For the non-perishable, every additional day may imply a longer life expectancy.”

The Lindy Library compiled resources that have been around in the internet for some time, and continue to be useful for many people. Two of my favorite sources from this library:

1. ​9 Learnings from 9 Years of Brain Pickings by Maria Popova
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3. ​If Men Could Menstruate by Gloria Steinem

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✨ Listen to the sound of forests while studying

People around the world recorded the sounds of their forests, so you can escape into nature, and unwind wherever you are. This free website offers soundbites and helps you find focus and relaxation even when you're at your desk.

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"The more we know, the more information (hooks) we have to connect new information to, the easier we can form long-term memories."
- Helmut D. Sachs

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