I tried the Apple Vision Pro...


Journaling has been one of the most effective tools for discovery and growth that I've leaned on for many years.

Naturally, I had to bring this practice to our Second Brain Summit. So I was thrilled when Jo Franco, polyglot, Netflix travel host, and founder of the global journaling movement JoClub confirmed to join.

Jo will lead a dynamic and vulnerable workshop, introducing the practice of Live Journaling she's pioneered over the last few years as a timeless yet modern approach to self-discovery and personal development.

She will demonstrate how Live Journaling can serve as a powerful complement to PKM and digital notetaking, including how to integrate journaling with digital tools to make it even more insightful and profound.

Jo will also be the MC for our event! To meet her and many more of your favorite teachers and creators live, join us at the Second Brain Summit on October 3-4 in LA.


How to Take Notes And Capture Tasks During Meetings

I try to stay as present as possible during meetings, which means taking minimal notes.

If it's a virtual meeting, I use Evernote’s quick note feature to jot down a few points without ever leaving the Zoom screen. If I have a meeting in person, I only take handwritten notes because I found that the presence of any digital device is a distraction from the conversation.

Immediately after, I'll briefly review the notes and capture any open loops in my task manager. Should I have another meeting right after, I know there's a "safety net" ensuring I won't forget them: the next time I clear my notes inbox as part of my Weekly Review. This gives me two chances to review my notes for action items.

With AI tools, you can now automatically record and summarize meetings as well as identify action items. The critical step is transferring those to your task manager so you're reminded to execute them.

How do you capture notes and tasks during meetings? Hit reply and let me know. I'd love to compile your best practices.


Apple Vision Pro: How Tech Is Affecting Kids’ Development

How are we going to shape our kids' relationship with technology? How will we use or get used by new tools such as the Apple Vision Pro?

Ernest Wolfe, educator and software developer, joins me in this video to talk about how kids are struggling to learn, dealing with distractibility and executive function disorders.

I also take the Apple Vision Pro for a test drive for the first time, exploring different use cases and its limitations.


"A Modern Marketing Classic"

Simple Marketing for Smart People, the book my marketing advisor Billy Broas and I co-authored has been available for a month...

And it's getting fantastic reviews, even being called "a modern marketing classic." Here are a few from Amazon that I want to share with you:

"This is a fantastic book that explains the basics of marketing to anyone, whether they’re preparing to sell their first product or they’ve been in business for years. I am new to marketing and had no idea where to start - this book helped to simplify the process and highlighted the essentials of marketing while also giving me specific ideas on how to make and implement a plan." – Kayla Y.
"I’ve been stuck in the weeds of marketing for 8 years. I’ve read so many books on marketing, selling, social media, all of it, but it was like I was missing some core, foundational piece that everyone else who was successful had. This book was that piece that made the whole puzzle snap into place for me. The beliefs this book helps you create as a backbone to your marketing is 🤯. Content flows so easy now and I feel like I’m doing a service by creating it and selling." – J. Sitek
"I loved this book … because it reframed selling and marketing so that I can do them in a way that feels honourable and decent. In the past, I’ve always avoided selling because the thought of it made me feel ick. But you can’t help people if you can’t sell to them. And there’s an honest, caring way of doing that - which is what this book teaches. The writing is superb, the ideas really make sense, and the examples are enlightening." – CC

If this resonates with you, I invite you to get your copy and learn the simple marketing approach I've been using for years.


Want to Read Building a Second Brain With Your Book Club?

We prepared a free facilitation guide you can use!

This guide contains a quote, discussion prompt, and action step for each chapter of Building a Second Brain. While the discussion prompts are designed to spark conversations in your book club, the action steps are for each member to take individually.

We suggest that you reflect together on the actions taken, share your progress, and actively address any roadblocks that come up. As a group, you will achieve more and go further than you would alone.

Build your Second Brain

Join BASB Foundation →

🤩

Create a system for productivity

Join POP →

📚

Organize your digital life

Get the PARA Method →

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

As you may know, I’m currently writing a book all about the art and power of the annual review—a ritual that has transformed my life and countless others. But here’s the thing: I need your help. I’m on the lookout for great examples of annual reviews—your own, or ones you’ve come across online. I’d love to see the many forms this practice can take, from written blog posts to videos, podcasts, visual presentations, or even something completely unconventional! If you’ve created or come across...

Happy New Year 🥳 I’m back from Antarctica and excited that we’re kicking off the first monthly theme in our new Second Brain Membership… We’ve all experienced how a messy workspace, whether physical or digital, creates overwhelm and makes it harder to focus. In January, we’ll work together to declutter your personal and shared environment and archive anything that’s no longer serving you. By the end of the month, you’ll have a clean, inviting workspace that motivates you to tackle your most...

Best of 2024

This is our final newsletter of 2024 🎉 a special edition to celebrate the past 12 months. Here are some of the milestones we achieved this year at Forte Labs... Our BASB Foundation course went through an upgrade and we launched it in Portuguese and Spanish. We opened our Second Brain Membership to everyone (and have exciting updates coming for 2025). I moved our family from the US to Mexico. We grew our YouTube channel to 287K subscribers and I shared a comprehensive retrospective of this...