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Building a Second Brain Foundation

Build Your Second Brain On Your Own Time & At Your Own Pace

Join our self-paced course and learn how to consistently turn the information you consume into creative output and concrete results.

Have you noticed that our digital lives are expanding exponentially?
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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. 

It will help you clear the mental clutter so you can start doing your best work with more clarity, purpose, and ease.

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.

How our graduates have benefitted from Building a Second Brain

BASB has literally changed my life. Every time I take this course I get a new job that's more specialized and better aligned with my goals and beliefs.

Camila Holanda

Designer, Researcher & Futurist

After taking BASB, I feel 1000X more productive and have a system that gets a lot done for me.

Yaw Owusu-Ansah

WordPress Developer

After BASB, my thoughts are clearer and my writing has improved. It's already allowed me to create things I never would have considered before this course.

Tamisha O'Neal

Board-certified Cosmetologist

The BASB course has made me more confident in handling what life throws at me and being more effective in expressing myself.

Dennis Nehrenheim

Software Engineer & Blogger

BASB has reduced my stress levels. I now feel less scattered and more directed.

Sheila Glesmann

Owner of Emission Strategies, Inc.

I feel as though I have increased my IQ by 20 points. Of course this isn't true, but it feels this way because I am thinking so much more clearly and with so much more relaxation and concentration.

Rob Joseph

Fractional CFO

What you’ll get in Building a Second Brain Foundation

7 modules with succinct, polished instructional videos

Learn the fundamentals of the BASB methodology at your own pace.

Guided implementation steps

Put what you learn into practice immediately using your notes app of choice.

Notes app checklist

Choose and properly set up the right notetaking app for your needs with our step-by-step checklist.

Writing prompts and reflections

Ensure that you make the right strategic decisions about your Second Brain from the start.

Resource library of our best, most impactful content

Dive deeper into advanced use cases for digital notetaking and personal knowledge management.

Join Foundation

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

What you’ll be learning and doing in Building a Second Brain

Start your journey with BASB Foundation

Every module contains short, to-the-point videos, concrete action steps, and reflection exercises so you can put what you learn into practice immediately. 

Module 1: Explore your perspective and why it matters

• Identify and overcome the most common limiting beliefs around productivity, thinking, and learning in the Information Age.

• Understand why your perspective is your most valuable resource nowadays and how you can actively develop it.

• Discover why you need to build a digital notetaking system even though you can “google” anything.

Module 2: Choose and set up your notetaking app

• Pick a notetaking app, the heart of your Second Brain, based on your unique notetaking style and preferences.

• Get started using your notetaking app right away with our guidance and without having to “master” every single feature.
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• Feel confident in your decision about which tools to use so you can stop jumping from one “shiny object” to the next.

Module 3: Capture your best ideas and the crucial information in your life

• Find out why digital notetaking is nothing like what you did in high school and how it can explode your productivity.

• Set up your digital capture system with clear criteria for what is worth saving in your Second Brain and what isn’t.

• Escape the “reactivity loop” and learn how to manage information overload – this will have a direct positive impact on your physical and mental health.

• Identify your personal priorities using the “12 Favorite Problems,” a simple exercise inspired by Nobel prize-winning scientist Richard Feynman.

• Switch your default approach from “heavy lifts” to "slow burns" to escape the rat race of trying to work harder and longer than everyone else. 

Module 4: Organize your notes for actionability and easy access

• Organize your digital life in minutes with our PARA method – a favorite among Second Brainers.

• Set up your Second Brain as a dynamic system that evolves along with your needs and priorities.

• Discover the incredible power of an up-to-date Project List with guidance on how to create one for yourself.

• Create a digital working environment that enhances your creativity and helps you get into flow states faster. 

Module 5: Distill your notes to make them easily discoverable

• Design your notes in a way that makes them easily discoverable for your future self, saving you tons of time.

• Learn a technique called Progressive Summarization to make sure your biggest insights are always front and center.

‍• Train your intuition to decide what's important and what's not in the moment based on “resonance.”

• Turn your notes into "thinking tools" that allow you to access brain power you didn't even know you had. 

Module 6: Express your ideas and turn them into concrete results

• Turn raw material into knowledge assets – a valuable treasury of knowledge for a side project, career advancement, or new business.

• Use the concept of Intermediate Packets to completely transform your approach to productivity. Never start anything from scratch again.

• Become interruption-proof and get better and faster feedback than you ever thought possible. 

Module 7: Establish the habits to continuously benefit from your Second Brain

• Take advantage of the compounding knowledge in your Second Brain to tackle projects of any size with ease.

• Move consciously from scarcity to a place of abundance, from obligation to service, and from mindless consumption to self-expression.

• Discover how Project Kickoff and Completion Checklists can help you reuse your best thinking and free up your mind for more interesting, fulfilling endeavors.

• Establish Weekly and Monthly Reviews as routine check-ins to keep your productivity, creativity, and peace of mind on track.

Got questions? Talk to us!

We want you to feel fully confident in your decision to join Building a Second Brain so you can focus on learning and taking action.

If you have any question whatsoever, email support@fortelabs.com for a private chat with our team.

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.

BASB Foundation

Our self-paced course to build your Second Brain on your own time.

  • 7 modules with succinct, polished instructional videos teaching the fundamentals of the BASB methodology
  • Writing prompts and reflections to ensure you make the right strategic decisions about your Second Brain from the start
  • Guided implementation steps to help you put what you learn into practice immediately
  • A step-by-step checklist to choose & properly set up the right notetaking app for your needs
  • A resource library of our best, most impactful content to dive deeper into digital notetaking and personal knowledge management
  • Lifetime access to future updates of this course

$499

One-time payment

Get Instant Access

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.

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.

Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions

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

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, polished instructional videos teaching the fundamentals of the BASB methodology

• Writing prompts and reflections to ensure you make the right strategic decisions about your Second Brain from the start

• Guided implementation steps to help you put what you learn into practice immediately

• A step-by-step checklist to choose & properly set up the right notetaking app for your needs

• A resource library of our best, most impactful content to dive deeper into digital notetaking and personal knowledge management

• And lifetime access to future updates of this course‍

The BASB Membership is our all-access pass which combines the momentum of live cohorts where you learn alongside a group of passionate peers with a thriving community to continuously support you on your journey to building the life you want.
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The BASB Membership includes everything in BASB Foundation plus…

• 4 live cohorts per year to accelerate your progress in 3-week sprints

• 4 interactive live sessions per cohort with options for all time zones

• Private members-only learning community on Circle with some of the most dedicated Personal Knowledge Management practitioners in the world

• Personalized support from our Alumni Moderators to help you implement your Second Brain in your notetaking app of choice

• Weekly live events and monthly Q&As with Tiago to continuously support you on your journey and keep you updated on PKM developments

How long will I have access to the material?

You’ll have access to BASB Foundation for as long as we’re offering this course, including future updates.  

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

We’ve designed BASB Foundation to fit your schedule and pace.

While you can watch the video lessons in just a few hours, we highly recommend that you follow the action steps to put the BASB system into practice.

It will take some time and effort to implement, but ultimately, building and leveraging your Second Brain will save you countless hours.

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?

We don’t offer refunds for the BASB Foundation course. All sales are final.

With that being said, we want you to feel fully confident in your decision to join Building a Second Brain.

If you have any question whatsoever, email support@fortelabs.com for a private chat with our team.

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

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

BASB Foundation

Our self-paced course to build your Second Brain on your own time.

  • 7 modules with succinct, polished instructional videos teaching the fundamentals of the BASB methodology
  • Writing prompts and reflections to ensure you make the right strategic decisions about your Second Brain from the start
  • Guided implementation steps to help you put what you learn into practice immediately
  • A step-by-step checklist to choose & properly set up the right notetaking app for your needs
  • A resource library of our best, most impactful content to dive deeper into digital notetaking and personal knowledge management
  • Lifetime access to future updates of this course

$499

One-time payment

Get Instant Access

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