300,000 Copies Sold!


I’ve been diving deep into preparations for our first live session of The Annual Review 2025, and I couldn’t be more excited to meet everyone in the program.

We already have 112 people signed up—a perfect number to bring in diverse perspectives while still keeping it intimate enough for everyone to connect.

Quick reminder that enrollment closes in just over 24 hours—at midnight ET tomorrow, Dec. 4th.

So this is your last chance to join us before the doors close until next year.

Let’s kick off 2025 together with clarity, purpose, and intention!


“Why Are You Still Using Evernote?”

It’s a question I get all the time. Evernote has had its share of criticism lately—new ownership, price hikes, and a wave of users moving to other apps. Yet, I still stand by it. Why?

The answer lies in understanding the real purpose of a notetaking app.

It’s not about having the flashiest features or the most innovative design. It’s about having a rock-solid foundation—the floor, not the ceiling, of functionality.

When you’re tired, stressed, or operating at your worst, you need a tool that’s simple, reliable, and easy to use. Evernote does that better than any other app I’ve tried.

It’s an unbeatable scratchpad, a quick capture tool that lets me save information from anywhere in seconds.

Once that idea is safely captured, I can move it to other tools if needed. For instance:

  • Team projects? I move it to Notion, where our shared workspace lives.
  • Book writing? That’s Obsidian, my current go-to for deeper, long-form work.

For my most important data, I need a safe, conservative place. Evernote is still that place for me.

You don’t store your core memories on the bleeding edge of technology. You keep them where you know they’re safe, even if it’s not the trendiest option.


A Quest for Self-Knowledge: From Self-Help to Somatic Healing (Part III – Awakening My Body)

How do you reconnect with the wisdom of your body after years of ignoring it?

In Part III of A Quest for Self-Knowledge, I dive into the physical sensations and suppressed emotions that shaped my journey back to wholeness.

From the persistent pain that first pushed me inward to the transformative experiences of ayahuasca and somatic therapy, I explore how listening to my body has healed old wounds and opened up new possibilities.

This chapter is about rediscovering the power of the body—not just as a vessel for living, but as a profound source of clarity, intuition, and peace.


Building a Second Brain Has Sold 300,000 Copies Worldwide! 🎉🥳🙌

It took about 30 months, which means we've sold about 10,000 copies per month on average since it was released. Only 8 countries have reported sales out of 28 total, so we still have a long way to go...

The most interesting detail is that U.S. sales account for less than half the total, and that's trending downward as more international editions are released. Long term I'm guessing that the U.S. will only make up 20-25% of total sales (despite making up 65% of the advances I've received).

I think publishers systematically underestimate the size of the overseas book market, as the middle class grows around the globe and the U.S. share of the world economy dwindles. Especially when it comes to books written by online creators, who tend to have very international audiences.

This is the perfect time to pick up a copy as a holiday gift, company perk, or New Year's Resolution booster.


Podcast: When Intellect Meets the Somatic

I recently joined Victor Saadia in Valle de Bravo on his podcast for a deep and fascinating conversation on the intersection of creativity, somatic embodiment, and intellectual rationalization.

We dove into some big ideas: how the body, emotions, and community influence our creative lives—often more profoundly than our abstract, rational minds.

I shared personal stories about my journey as a writer, the unexpected lessons I’ve learned through in-person experiences, and my exploration of somatic practices like ayahuasca and breathwork.

One theme we kept coming back to was the power of rituals. How can rituals challenge the overly individualistic narratives that disconnect us from others, ourselves, and the world around us?

This question led us to discuss everything from cultural identities in Mexico and the U.S. to what it means to belong—both collectively and personally.

🧠

Build your Second Brain

Join BASB Foundation →

🧰

Create a system for productivity

Join Pillars of Productivity →

👥

Join the global community

Join the Second Brain Membership →

Tiago Forte

Want to opt out of the newsletter or receive this email on a different email address?
Update your preferences

Want to stop receiving emails from us completely?
Unsubscribe from everything. (Use with caution!)

5318 E. 2nd St. PMB 36973, Long Beach, CA 90803

Forte Labs Newsletter

Level up your productivity and life with new essays, videos, event invites, and other resources every Tuesday. Join 125k subscribers exploring the frontier of modern work, experimenting with new ways of doing more with less, and discovering what it means to fulfill our human potential. 100% free and 100% useful!

Read more from Forte Labs Newsletter

Last chance to apply for Cohort 3 of Second Brain Enterprise. Applications close tomorrow, Wed. Oct. 22, at midnight Pacific. The cohort starts on Oct. 27 and runs for 5 weeks. 44 organizations have already enrolled. Bob Diekema, Partner & Financial Advisor at Langschied Financial, shared about the program… “The transformation was immediate. Instead of getting generic business advice, I now get responses that reference our actual 80-85% close rates, our specific team capacity constraints, our...

I’m incredibly proud to share that my wife, Lauren, just published her first book. Beyond Acceptance is about applying to grad school, but the lessons extend far beyond that. It teaches you to advocate for yourself, tell your story compellingly, and navigate institutional gatekeepers. Over the past decade, Lauren has helped over 500 people get into elite universities like Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. Now she’s distilled everything she’s learned into a book that reveals the “hidden curriculum”...

If you missed last week's workshop… Josh and I shared how business leaders from our first two Second Brain Enterprise cohorts are using AI to transform their operations, while most companies are stuck in stage 1. Watch the replay to see the 4 stages of business evolution and the 3-part framework we use to systematically integrate AI into every business function. Cohort 3 starts Oct. 27. Applications close Oct. 22. Over 100 companies have participated across two cohorts. 75.8% exceeded...