The Productivity Show

Build a Second Brain: Tiago Forte’s Playbook for Clarity and Productivity (TPS586)


Listen Later

How much valuable knowledge slips through the cracks of your busy day? What are the ideas you jot down, forget, and never act on? Tiago Forte believes the key to unlocking your full potential isn’t doing more, it’s organizing what you already know. As the creator of the “Building a Second Brain” method, Tiago has helped thousands of people transform digital chaos into clarity.

In this encore episode, Tiago joins Thanh to share how you can capture, organize, and leverage information so your mind stays focused on creativity and decision-making. From his philosophy on weekly reviews to his favorite tools and mindset shifts, this conversation is packed with practical ways to stop juggling ideas and start executing with calm, confident focus.

Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/tps.

Visit Indeed.com/tps to start hiring now.

Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code tps.

Visit www.asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

Cheat Sheet:

Become a member of TPS+ and get ad-free episodes a week before anyone else with other great bonuses like the famous “One Tweak A Week” shirt.

  • Top 3 Productivity Resources [01:33].
  • What it really means to build a second brain and why it matters [04:29].
  • How Forte Labs began—and the moment Tiago realized productivity could be taught differently [04:55].
  • Why managing knowledge may be the most underrated productivity skill of all [06:39].
  • The simple four-part PARA system that can organize your entire digital life [13:15].
  • How sharing what you know multiplies your learning and impact [18:15].
  • Real stories of how knowledge management changes the way people work [19:19].
  • One small, practical action you can take today to start your second brain [26:38].
  • How to sort your ideas, notes, and projects without overthinking it [27:45].
  • The best place to begin if you’re new to personal knowledge management [34:46].
  • How Tiago’s system connects—and differs—from David Allen’s GTD [36:52].
  • A peek into Tiago’s own daily and weekly productivity habits [40:18].
  • Why the weekly review might be the single habit that holds it all together [40:51].
  • Where to explore more about Building a Second Brain and join the movement [49:10].
  • Links:
    • Shopify
    • Indeed
    • DripDrop
    • 25X Productivity Coaching
    • Hours Tracker
    • Breaking Smart Newsletter
    • GorillaPod
    • The PARA Method: A Universal System for Organizing Digital Information
    • The One-Touch Guide to Doing a Weekly Review: How I Go From Chaos to Clarity in 30 Minutes
    • Productivity Academy
    • The Productivity Show on Youtube
    • The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
    • Become a member of TPS+
    • Take the Productivity Quiz
    • If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      The Productivity ShowBy Asian Efficiency

      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6

      4.6

      489 ratings


      More shows like The Productivity Show

      View all
      Getting Things Done by GTD®

      Getting Things Done

      457 Listeners

      Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement by Justin Malik

      Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

      3,070 Listeners

      Daily Creative with Todd Henry by Todd Henry

      Daily Creative with Todd Henry

      514 Listeners

      Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

      Coaching for Leaders

      1,470 Listeners

      The 5 AM Miracle: Healthy Productivity for High Achievers by Jeff Sanders

      The 5 AM Miracle: Healthy Productivity for High Achievers

      726 Listeners

      Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life by Erik Fisher

      Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

      837 Listeners

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job by How to be Awesome at Your Job

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job

      1,039 Listeners

      The ONE Thing by Keller Podcast Network

      The ONE Thing

      1,112 Listeners

      Best of Both Worlds Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

      Best of Both Worlds Podcast

      775 Listeners

      The Modern Manager by Mamie Kanfer Stewart

      The Modern Manager

      185 Listeners

      The Daily Stoic by Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures

      The Daily Stoic

      4,927 Listeners

      The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

      The Anxious Achiever

      565 Listeners

      It's About Time | Time Management & Productivity for Work Life & Balance by Anna Dearmon Kornick

      It's About Time | Time Management & Productivity for Work Life & Balance

      237 Listeners

      Deep Questions with Cal Newport by Cal Newport

      Deep Questions with Cal Newport

      1,311 Listeners

      Best Laid Plans by Sarah Hart-Unger

      Best Laid Plans

      803 Listeners