It’s finally live—the official Second Brain Notion Template is ready for you.
Now you can easily apply the Second Brain methodology inside Notion with a simple, structured system that includes:
- The PARA Method so everything has a place and is easy to find
- A quick capture inbox so you never lose an idea
- Simple task and project management to keep your priorities clear
- A personal knowledge hub to organize book notes, research, and insights
- Habit tracking and journaling to stay consistent and reflect daily
- A Weekly Review checklist to reset, reflect, and plan ahead with ease
Right now, you can get the template for just $34—30% off the regular price. But only until Thursday at 12 pm ET.
Have questions? Want a deep dive into how to make the template work for you?
Join us tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11 am ET for a live Q&A with Julia Saxena, who led the creation of the template.
She can walk you through it, answer your questions, and help you make the most of your Second Brain inside Notion.
Opportunities to Lead Are Everywhere—Are You Noticing Them?
It’s easy to feel powerless these days. Like life is just happening to us—decisions being made, changes unfolding, and we’re just along for the ride. But here’s the thing: we often have far more agency than we realize.
One of the great blind spots in modern life is how many small opportunities exist to step up, share our voice, and make an impact. Leadership isn’t just about titles or grand gestures—it’s about taking initiative in the small moments that matter.
Maybe it’s speaking up in a meeting when you have an idea. Applying for a fellowship or scholarship. Volunteering for a community project. Even something as simple as mentoring a colleague or organizing a family event can be a form of leadership.
These chances to grow are all around us, but we have to train ourselves to see them.
So here’s a challenge for you: What’s one small way you could take the lead this week? It could be at work, in your community, or even among friends and family.
Hit reply and share with me what you’re up to!
The Death of Goals
I’ve long suspected that traditional goal-setting is on its way out. The old SMART framework just doesn’t fit today’s unpredictable world.
But what should replace it? In my latest blog post, I explore an alternative approach, outlined in Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned by Kenneth Stanley and Joel Lehman.
Instead of rigid objectives, the authors suggest a more dynamic, creative approach. Here’s what they recommend:
- Optimize for novelty and interestingness
- Follow your gut instinct about which direction is most promising
- Hold your plans lightly and be open to changing direction
- Pay attention to the past
- Double down on what makes you unique
- Collect stepping stones
If you’ve ever felt stuck or uninspired by goal-setting, this post will challenge you to think differently.
Are Your Tools Helping or Hindering Your Productivity?
This month in the Second Brain Membership, we’re focusing on choosing your tools—because the right tools should support your workflow, not add to the noise.
It’s easy to accumulate apps and subscriptions over time, but without a regular inventory check, your tool stack can become cluttered, redundant, and even a source of friction.
In our latest Office Hours, we guided members through 3 powerful exercises to help them take stock of their tools, evaluate how they work together, and decide what truly serves them.
Now, you can try them too:
- List all your tools and gain a clear picture of what you’re using
- Categorize them using the CODE framework to see which step of your workflow they support
- Create a flowchart to map out how information moves through your system
You can access the full exercises in a Notion template here:
My First Time Microdosing
I recently experimented with microdosing psilocybin for the first time and shared a recap of my experience on X. It seemed to really resonate with people, so I wanted to share it here as well.
Overall, it was a wonderful and lightly moving experience—one that made me feel more emotionally fluid, present, and expressive.
That said, it did come with a few challenges, particularly when it came to tasks requiring precise or abstract thinking (like assembling my kids’ playground set!).
But the experience left me intrigued, and I actually want to try it as part of my book-writing process.
If you’re curious, you can read the full story here...
