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Building a Second Brain Cohort

The Fastest Path to Build & Benefit From a Second Brain in Your Life

Leverage the momentum of live cohorts plus a powerful community to keep you accountable and continuously support you on your journey.

Cohort 18 runs from July 3-30.

Is all the interesting information you’re consuming leading to meaningful results in your life … or is it going to waste? 

A Second Brain is already helping thousands of people around the world save their best ideas, organize their knowledge, and lead a more fulfilling life with more ease & less stress.

Join us now!

The Building a Second Brain Promise

When you join Building a Second Brain, we promise that you’ll…

Beat information overload

You’ll reduce stress and anxiety by knowing what to keep and what to ignore. Your best ideas will be preserved forever in a way you can easily find them again.

Organize your digital life

You’ll create a digital environment that promotes flow, clarity, and peace of mind so you can do your best work at any time.

Make consistent progress on your most important projects

You’ll be able to focus your time and energy on the things most meaningful to you, whether that’s your family, a new creative challenge, or your career or business growth.

Here’s how people from every profession and industry are benefiting from Building a Second Brain

Dr. Michele Gill

Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Central Florida

Steven Wilkinson

Founder and Managing Director of Good and Prosper Ltd., Wicklow, Ireland

Building a Second Brain is life-changing. I feel more organized. I know where everything goes. It's cleared up my information hoarding and replaced it with buckets for distilled work.

Barjes R. Angulo

Financial Planner

After taking the BASB course, everything has changed for me. This system is GENIUS and I'm so excited to read the book!

Savera Tasawar

Project Manager

BASB has given me a roadmap of where I want my life to go. It's sparking some creativity in all my endeavors.

Diana Lyn Davidson

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Artist, Writer & Photographer

BASB got me from 0 to a knowledge management system that makes me more effective by the day. This is almost an unfair advantage!

Adam Zielinski

Software Engineer

Visit our Wall of Love for more in-depth reviews of Building a Second Brain.

The cohort is your 4-week sprint to build your Second Brain with live support

Here’s what’s included:

BASB Foundation

Access the complete curriculum the second you hit “buy.” If you want to get started right away, you can dive into the fundamentals of the BASB methodology in 7 modules with succinct instructional videos. Includes guided implementation steps and checklists to choose and set up your notetaking app.

4-Week Live Cohort

Build your fully functional Second Brain with the momentum, accountability, and support of our team and like-minded Second Brainers. You could spend years tinkering with your system, probably making every mistake possible. Or use our proven blueprint and create a system for personal knowledge management you can trust and rely on in just 28 days.

Expert Facilitators

Learn from our most experienced Second Brainers who have tested their systems in the real world. Our facilitators use the same notetaking apps as you and love to share what works for them. This is an exclusive opportunity to work with the best experts in personal knowledge management

4x Interactive Live Sessions With Options For All Time Zones

Join our facilitators for 90 minutes of step-by-step walkthroughs, live demos, and in-depth Q&As. You’ll also hear multiple examples of how to apply a given technique or tool in small breakout sessions. Through replays, live captions, and searchable transcripts, you’ll have multiple options to engage whenever and wherever it fits your schedule.

4x Office Hours

Get direct coaching from our teaching staff to work through any roadblocks that are keeping you stuck. We’ll show you how you can apply the BASB principles to your situation and adapt the system for your specific needs. Take advantage of your access to the collective intelligence of people who have done exactly what you’re trying to do.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Just follow our templates and checklists that will show you exactly what to do to build your Second Brain. It will only take a few minutes to implement each step and you’ll avoid common mistakes and hidden pitfalls. You’ll be able to use your Second Brain to reach your goals faster instead of creating an overcomplicated and over-engineered mess.

Personalized Support on Circle

Become part of the most active community on personal knowledge management where you can learn from each other’s insights and receive instant feedback. If you ever get stuck, just post your question on Circle and you’ll get an answer within 48 hours. Trust that the momentum of hundreds of people trying to achieve the same goal as you at the same time will propel you forward.

Our learners come from the world’s leading organizations

Join the Cohort

$999

Join Cohort 18

Runs from July 3 - 30, payment plans available

Meet Your Instructor

Hi, I’m Tiago Forte

AUTHOR & CREATOR OF BUILDING A SECOND BRAIN

I’ve spent more than 10 years researching and personally experimenting with a new way of organizing our digital lives and improving our productivity.

What started as a quest to deal with a chronic illness turned into a life-long mission to help you harness the full potential of your ideas and turn them into reality. 

My work has been featured in

You’ll feel the benefits of Building a Second Brain
from day 1 of the cohort

Here’s what our students experience by the end of each week:

Week 1

You’ll start to feel the pressure of information overwhelm melting away, since you can now confidently ignore 99% of the information out there while saving the 1% that matters.

Week 2

You’ll finally get your digital life organized, knowing where to find the right information right when you need it.

Week 3

You’ll master how to make your notes easily discoverable for your future self, setting the stage for turning the information you capture into concrete outputs. 

Week 4

You’ll start using the information in your life to actively move your goals and priorities forward instead of just hoarding it. 

Here’s how people from every profession and industry are benefiting from Building a Second Brain

Ben Mosior

Systems Consultant

Bronson Chang

Co-Founder at Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha in Honolulu, Hawaii

Take this course to start to feel agency in the world of infinite information and filter failure!

Doug von Kohorn

Managing Partner, Fathom Ventures, New York, NY

BASB is the best online course I've taken so far. It's helping me sort through all my mental, emotional, spiritual blockages.

Danbee Kim

Creative Director, OORI Studio

BASB gave me a noticeable boost in self-confidence and energy towards working on my projects. It’s hard to understate the sense of growth of who I am – of what I’m capable of achieving. It has profoundly altered my outlook on life and what I dare to aspire to.

Filip Rankenberg

Body therapist and trainer, Entrepreneur

BASB has given me a sense of peace and comfort to know it's easy to find things without remembering where I put them.

Laurie Anderson

Alexander Art, CEO

Visit our Wall of Love for more in-depth reviews of Building a Second Brain.

Try Building a Second Brain risk-free with our Money-Back Guarantee

Your satisfaction is our #1 goal, and we want the decision to join Building a Second Brain to be 100% risk-free so you can focus on learning.

Join the first week of the Cohort and if you decide it didn't deliver on its promise for any reason, email support@fortelabs.com before the second live session (July 12th) to get a refund.

Get reimbursed
by your employer

Most large organizations, and many smaller ones, will reimburse tuition for professional development.

Click here to download a proposal template.

Join the BASB Cohort

A 4-week sprint to build your Second Brain with the momentum, accountability, and support of our team and like-minded Second Brainers.

  • 4-week live cohort running from July 3 - 30
  • Expert facilitators from diverse backgrounds who have tested their Second Brains in the real world
  • 4x interactive live sessions with options for all time zones
  • 4x office hours with direct coaching from our teaching staff to work through any roadblocks
  • Step-by-step instructions so you can use your Second Brain faster to reach your goals
  • Personalized support on Circle to get instant feedback and answers to your questions
  • BASB Foundation self-paced course if you want to dive into the fundamentals of the BASB methodology right away

$999

Join Cohort 18

Runs from July 3 - 30, payment plans available

Is Building a Second Brain right for you?

Building a Second Brain is for ambitious learners, creators, and thinkers who want to create more meaningful work in the digital age.

Knowledge Workers

Anyone who needs to consume a lot of information, understand it, and use it to produce a result in their jobs. Whether you’re in Tech, Finance, or Management— if your greatest asset is your knowledge, Building a Second Brain is for you.

Creators

As a YouTuber, blogger, podcaster, or someone who needs to give killer presentations at work, a Second Brain will help you capture and organize your ideas, so you always have rich material to pull from.

Students

If you’re working on a thesis or want to make sure every ounce of your learning is captured and secure forever, Building a Second Brain will help you get the most out of your studies and stand out among your peers.

Freelancers & Entrepreneurs

Having trouble managing all the information you need to run your business? Building a Second Brain will help you work on your business and in your business without dropping any balls.

Families

Managing a household can be chaotic and draining. But when you leverage technology the right way and build a Second Brain to offload some of the burden, you can thrive, not just survive, at home.

Life-Long Learners, Productivity & Self-Improvement Enthusiasts

You’re consuming a ton of useful information but struggle to put it into practice. Now you can save all the knowledge you’ve gained, find it when you need it, and take the necessary steps to improve your life.

Most importantly, Building a Second Brain is for…

Anyone who wants to succeed in the digital economy

Our digital lives are expanding exponentially. Your profession and pursuits require you to consume and understand more information than ever, and it’s only going to get more demanding. Building a Second Brain is the answer to information overload and overwhelm. You’ll clear the mental clutter so you can start doing your best work with more clarity, purpose, and ease.

Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from the book?

The book contains the full Building a Second Brain material. But think about how often you’ve read a book, were inspired by the possibilities it outlined, yet didn’t take action to put your learnings into practice.

That’s what the Cohort is for!

In the cohort, you’ll build your fully functional Second Brain with the momentum, accountability, and support of our team and like-minded Second Brainers. You could spend years tinkering with your system, probably making every mistake possible. Or use our proven blueprint and create a system for personal knowledge management you can trust and rely on in just 28 days.

What’s the difference between BASB Foundation and the BASB Cohort? 

BASB Foundation is our self-guided option for those seeking an introduction to building their Second Brain. Here’s what’s included:

• 7 modules with succinct instructional videos so you can absorb the fundamentals of the BASB methodology in the most distilled, easy-to-understand way
Pick-your-notes-app quiz & checklist to help you choose & properly set up the right notetaking app for your needs
Guided implementation steps so you can put what you learn into practice immediately
A resource library of our best, most impactful content to dive deeper into digital notetaking and personal knowledge management
• Lifetime access to this version of the course

The BASB Cohort is our 4-week sprint to build your Second Brain with the momentum, accountability, and support of our team and like-minded Second Brainers. Here’s what’s included:

• 4-week live cohort running from July 3 - 30
• Expert facilitators from diverse backgrounds who have tested their Second Brains in the real world
• 4x interactive live sessions with options for all time zones
• 4x office hours with direct coaching from our teaching staff to work through any roadblocks
• Step-by-step instructions so you can use your Second Brain faster to reach your goals
• Personalized support on Circle to get instant feedback and answers to your questions
• BASB Foundation self-paced course if you want to dive into the fundamentals of the BASB methodology right away

How long will I have access to the material?

You’ll have lifetime access to the replays of your BASB Cohort.

What does the schedule for the upcoming cohort look like? 

The upcoming Cohort 18 will run from July 3rd to 30th, 2023.

Here are the key dates*:

• Wed., July 5th at 10 am ET: Live Session 1 (Americas/Europe)
• Thu., July 6th at 4 pm ET: Live Session 1 (Americas/Asia/Pacific)
• Fri., July 7th at 1 pm ET: Office Hours 
• Wed., July 12th at 10 am ET: Live Session 2 (Americas/Europe)
• Thu., July 13th at 4 pm ET: Live Session 2 (Americas/Asia/Pacific)
• Fri., July 14th at 1 pm ET: Office Hours
• Wed., July 19th at 10 am ET: Live Session 3 (Americas/Europe)
• Thu., July 20th at 4 pm ET: Live Session 3 (Americas/Asia/Pacific)
• Fri., July 21st at 1 pm ET: Office Hours
• Wed., July 26th at 10 am ET: Live Session 4 (Americas/Europe)
• Thu., July 27th at 4 pm ET: Live Session 4 (Americas/Asia/Pacific)
• Fri., July 28th at 1 pm ET: Office Hours

The live sessions run for 90 minutes and are led by our facilitators. The office hours run for 60 minutes and are led by our course team.

We'll publish the recording of one live session per week including captions so if you have to miss a session, you can always watch it later.

You’ll have lifetime access to the replays of your cohort live sessions.

*Please note that these dates and timings are tentative at the moment and might change.

What’s the cohort schedule for 2023? 

We’re running one more cohort of Building a Second Brain in 2023. Here are the dates:

Cohort 19: October 2 - 29, 2023

We'll publish the cohort dates for 2024 around June.

How much time do I need to invest to benefit from Building a Second Brain? 

When you’re joining the BASB Cohort, you’ll be part of a more intensive learning experiences delivered live in real time.

Although we make replays of all sessions available, and you can always rewatch them afterward, we strongly recommend that you attend the live sessions to fully benefit from the live learning experience.

Overall, you should plan on spending around 2.5 hours per week for the 4 weeks of the live cohort, including:

• 1.5 hours per week attending the live session (or watching the replay)
• 1-2 hours per week implementing what you learn
• (optional) engage with your peers on Circle, our community platform

What tools are used in Building a Second Brain?

Building a Second Brain is tool-agnostic, meaning our methodology will work in any software you prefer.

Students use Evernote, Notion, Apple Notes, OneNote, Craft, Roam Research, Obsidian, Bear, and Google Keep, among many other notetaking tools.

Are there any prerequisites for this course?

There are no official prerequisites to take Building a Second Brain. However, we do expect you to be reasonably comfortable with using a computer or smartphone.

What’s your refund policy?

Your satisfaction is our #1 goal, and we want the decision to join Building a Second Brain to be 100% risk-free so you can focus on learning.

Join the first week of the Cohort and if you decide it didn't deliver on its promise for any reason, email support@fortelabs.com before the second live session (July 12th) to get a refund.

Do you offer discounts or scholarships?

We don’t offer discounts or scholarship. Instead, we support Purchasing Power Parity Pricing. Based on your location, you might qualify for a reduced price for BASB Foundation and the BASB Cohort.

If you do, you’ll automatically see a banner with a discount code on this page.  Make sure to disable any VPN since this will block the banner from showing. 

What kind of payment plans do you offer?

We’re happy to offer you “buy now, pay later” options through Klarna and Afterpay/Clearpay, which enable you to pay for our courses in interest-free installments.

On our checkout pages, you’ll find these options under “Payment Methods.”

Currently, “buy now, pay later” is available in the following countries:

Klarna Country Support: United States, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Afterpay/Clearpay Country Support: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain

Didn’t see the answer to your question? Check our Help Center for more FAQs. 

A final word from Tiago

Imagine what it would be like if you knew with total certainty that every great idea you encountered was reliably saved forever.

That you could wave goodbye to information overload because you have a way to filter out the junk while saving only the best stuff.

You could move forward decisively on your goals without wondering whether you had all the right information. You could execute your projects and create new things without wondering whether this was really the best you could do.

If you're paid to think for a living, you cannot afford not to invest in the most valuable asset you own – your ideas.

You can’t afford to burden your biological brain with trivial details that only gunk up your wheels as you go about your workday and go after your goals.

It’s time to build a Second Brain and fully unlock the potential you know you are capable of.

Don't spend 10 years figuring out how to make your knowledge work for you like I did. Don't resign yourself to watching your ideas pile up and never doing anything with them. Don't reach the end of your career wondering if you were actually capable of more.

Join me on this incredible journey, and find out what it's really like to have the full power of a Second Brain at your fingertips.

See you inside!

Tiago

Alysson Costa

Senior Lecturer and Mathematician, Melbourne, Australia

Harirai Khalsa

Writer, Musician, and Entrepreneur, in Santa Fe, New Mexico

BASB has already impacted my life in more ways than I could have imagined. Now, I feel like an authority and I am not worried about expressing myself. 

Jenn Reid

Imagine being able to recall all the really interesting things you’ve ever read, seen and done. How good would that be? I wish I had done it years ago.

Jimmy Conway

Organizational Improvement Consultant

This course completely re-organized the way I consume content. It changed what I pay attention to and why.

Yuri Burchenya

Co-founder at GetFoundXL

As a long-term collector of information that often sat unread and unused, BASB has changed my approach to information and the possibilities are just beginning to unfold. This was life-changing.

Kiva Slade

Analytics and Operations Consultant

The world is waiting for you to make the difference that only you can make.

Join the BASB Cohort

A 4-week sprint to build your Second Brain with the momentum, accountability, and support of our team and like-minded Second Brainers.

  • 4-week live cohort running from July 3 - 30
  • Expert facilitators from diverse backgrounds who have tested their Second Brains in the real world
  • 4x interactive live sessions with options for all time zones
  • 4x office hours with direct coaching from our teaching staff to work through any roadblocks
  • Step-by-step instructions so you can use your Second Brain faster to reach your goals
  • Personalized support on Circle to get instant feedback and answers to your questions
  • BASB Foundation self-paced course if you want to dive into the fundamentals of the BASB methodology right away

$999

Join Cohort 18

Runs from July 3 - 30, payment plans available