how i use my second brain in notion
resource library for adhd entrepreneurs
today we’re talking about how i use my second brain in notion. my second brain is a resource/reference library for me to store important things that i will need to recall in the future. 📚
in this video, i go over:
what i save in my second brain
inputting into second brain
database properties
second brain dashboard
using my second brain: tags database
using my second brain: projects database
i’ve seen a lot of notion creators talking about a second brain as in their entire notion workspace system encompassing projects, tasks, etc - that’s what i affectionately refer to as my holy grail headquarters - that’s my entire system. and this second brain is my reference library that lives within my holy grail hq.
shout out to michelle at holisticism who i learned about a second brain from and modeled mine after!
what do i save in my second brain?
i save things like inspirational website & sales pages that might be helpful for my business, my favorite newsletters, coupons for my fav online shops, blog articles, and websites related to projects or goals i’m working on - anything i might like to reference at a later date.
i love saving all resources to this one specific resource library, instead of saving things in multiple different places (like inside a project that it’s relevant to). it makes it super simple for my brain because i know exactly where to look when i need to recall a reference. and i keep things organized in here using relations - which i’ll talk about in a lil bit.
inputting into my notion second brain
everything enters into my system via my inbox database that lives on my daily dashboard - which is my go to page to get tasks done. if you’d like to see more in depth on how i input into, use and process my inbox - check out that video here.
so anything that i wanna potentially save into my second brain during the week - i first dump it into my inbox.
when i process my inbox during my weekly review, that’s when i will move anything second brain things from my inbox into my second brain database.
i have a filtered view of my second brain database on my daily dashboard in my “inbox processing station” so it will automatically apply the filtered properties i’ve chosen. in this case, i want it to check the box that this page “needs reviewed”. i’ll add as much quick info as i can right off the bat while it’s still fresh in my mind. and then in my weekly review i have a list of the second brain pages that need reviewed, so i can go over them and fill in the rest of the corresponding properties.
essential properties in my notion second brain database:
i have it related to a tags database which we’ll take a look at in a minute.
it’s also related to my areas and projects databases - and if you wanna see more in depth into how i use those databases, check out my productivity system video here.
i have a URL property which is important if it’s a website so i can get back to it
a Created Time property, named “date added” so i know when i saved the page to the database
i have a text property for intentions/takeaways - which is where i can jot down simple notes to help me know any relevant details at a glance without having to open the page
a text property named “author”, which i don’t use often, but if i wanted to save the name of the website or whoever wrote the blog post, etc
and then a checkbox property named “needs reviewed?” - this box lets me know i still need to review the page and add any relevant info to the other database properties - so that i am properly able to find it later & it doesn’t get lost
using my notion second brain
my second brain dashboard is very simple.
the databases that live here are my second brain and tags databases. and then i have links to my journal and reading list.
i have a toggle that shows me anything i’ve saved in my second brain database recently.
and i have a section that shows me any pages that still need reviewed - this means i still need to review them and add any relevant properties or notes inside them.
viewing my second brain: tags database
how i mainly view things in my second brain is by using a related database called a tags database. these are categories i use to organize my second brain resources. i like this gallery view without images - although i do think having images would probably be nice, i wanted to keep it simple. and for most of them, i chose a corresponding emoji to help me recognize the tag at a glance.
i have a database template set up for each tag page that includes a filtered view of my second brain database to only show me pages related to that specific tag. i also have a filtered view of my journal database so i can see anything in my journal that i’ve related to this tag as well.
viewing my second brain: projects database
another way i use my second brain is inside each of my projects. so in my projects database, i have a template set up to show me anything in my second brain that i’ve related to that specific project. so when i’m working on that project, it’s really handy to have anything i might need to reference right there easy to access! i know exactly where to go to find it.
if you’d like to check out more on how i manage my projects in notion - check out that video here.
notion operating system for adhd entrepreneurs
if you’re thinking “this second brain is pretty cool & i could definitely get more organized” - i’ve got a template for it included in my holy grail headquarters template.
the holy grail hq is a fully-connected operating system for solo-preneurs in Notion.
this system will help you spend your time and energy doing more of the magical shit you love and less of feeling overwhelmed by stressful tasks - cuz you’re gonna have an organized container to help your spicy brain thrive within!
i’ve got you set up with the dashboards and databases you need to feel organized and get shit done like my favs - the daily dashboard, content creation dash, and the second brain dash.
click the link in the description to be on your way toward more business ease with the holy grail hq template.
that’s the overview of how i use my second brain in notion. i would love to hear if you’ve got a second brain or resource library in notion and how you use it - lmk in the video comments.
as always, thanks for being here and thanks for subscribing to my YouTube channel and i’ll see ya in the next one.
More where that came from
If you’d like to see more posts about notion, check out the others by clicking on an image below:
