On the Road To My 2nd Brain

The dreaded mistake of spending more time on the tools rather than on the process has plagued me. For trying out which is the best electric drill, buy a few models and try each one instead of using the tool to create. I get caught up in the intricacies of planning and nothing gets done. I have gone so far as to structure my folders and create respective categories but I struggle in creating good notes and fumbling with my to-do list and calendar.

The first mistake in handling my email which is my Waterloo.I persist in keeping the email in the inbox instead of acting: create a calendar entry, add to the to-do list, and transfer it to an active folder or archive. I do well in transferring to the folder and flagging the note though I did not act upon it; as if the act of flagging has done the job. Instead, I let the email languish in my inbox.

I am confused about mixing email and notes; thinking that the email is a captured note and one should just flag it or move it to a One Note folder. It is not a note but a message that one should deal with, or nothing could come out of it and there should be action. I still keep the action in my mind instead of moving it somewhere like a to-do list or a calendar entry to move the process to the next stage. I lack the skill to review or come back to the list of to-do items or flagged emails.

The next mistake is failing to capture fleeting notes and placing them into a folder. I am not comfortable in dashing out a few short sentences and prefer long-flowing entries like in my journal. In fact, I should be reflecting in the same manner as in my journal entry both with a more concise and brief description. Instead, I linger on. Hence, I am still in the Capture mode and have not succeeded in the next steps: Organize, Distill and Express.

I also get mixed up in my tool set on whether notes are TO DO tasks or an entry in Microsoft One Note for my work or  Google Keep Notes for my personal work. Moving to the next phase or Organizing and Distilling requires a different mindset than note-taking. I get all mixed up in the scheme of work as I also need to use other tools like JIRA and EasyPPM and Microsoft Teams. These are systems that help execute a project but are not really used to build a second brain. 

Aside from the tools for knowledge management, Microsoft  Teams is a powerful tool set including Sharepoint and Planner that can help organize work. The rich toolset will bewilder you because they refer to different aspects of the project and daily work though some tools such as One Note can serve both BASB or project work. Into this mess is the everyday stress and excitement that the work brings into the mix.