December 15, 2025

The Calm Leader’s Second Brain: How to Build a Second Brain in OneNote for Clearer Leadership

22 minutes

If your mind feels constantly full — juggling leadership decisions, work projects, personal responsibilities, and the fear of forgetting something important — this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Get Organized at Work podcast, Kayla Fahey-Ahrndt shares how building a Second Brain helped her stop holding everything in her head and start leading with more clarity, calm, and confidence.

Inspired by Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte and the PARA Method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive), Kayla walks through how she adapted this framework specifically for leaders and working professionals using OneNote.

You’ll learn:

What a Second Brain is (and what it’s not)

Why leaders don’t need more productivity tools — they need better thinking systems

How to use OneNote as a leadership Second Brain

A practical tab-by-tab structure you can adapt for work and life

How offloading mental clutter can reduce decision fatigue and burnout

This episode is for leaders, managers, and working professionals who want to think more clearly, make better decisions, and create systems that support their leadership — not overwhelm it.

🎧 Plus, Kayla shares how she’s turning this system into a OneNote template and YouTube walkthrough you can use to build your own Calm Leader Second Brain.

Keywords:

second brain for leaders, building a second brain, second brain system, one note second brain, onenote for leaders, leadership organization system, productivity for leaders, decision fatigue leadership, organizing information for leaders, leadership systems and workflows, PARA method explained, calm leadership, get organized at work, leadership mindset and systems, working professional productivity

Want to build your own Calm Leader Second Brain?

Join the Get Organized at Work community or get on the waitlist for Kayla’s OneNote Second Brain template — links are below:

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By Kayla Fahey-Ahrndt | MPH, MLS (ASCP) SBB, Laboratory Manager, Healthcare Leader, Scientist

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