Unleash Your Digital Creativity
Join the inaugural Second Brain Summit October 3-4, 2024 in Los Angeles
ticket sales closedIncludes a Digital Swag Bag worth $5,144!
Includes a Digital Swag Bag worth $5,144!
Matt Stevenson
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I came across the concept of a "Second Brain" by Tiago Forte last year, and it quite literally changed my life. With the exponentially increasing amount of information we have flying at us each day, a second brain system has helped me categorize info that is most important to my work and passions, saving a ton of time on projects and recalling data when I need it, as well as improving my creativity. I'm so excited to go deeper into this subject and collaborate with experts in the field in-person next week at the hashtag#SecondBrainSummit, and even more excited (and honored) to share a talk there about how leadership plays a role in collaboration and innovation in the age of AI. If you haven't heard of the concept of a second brain, I highly recommend a look. I believe having a system to manage information isn't just helpful for work; it can be used in many areas of life. I would also add that it can be looked at as a way to reduce the stress of finding important information quickly when you most need it.
Jinal Sampat
This is a special conference hosted by @fortelabsco #secondbrainsummit 💜 @kunal_sampat and I are really excited to be a part of. Firstly because it's been years we went to a conference together( since baby Seth ☺️) but secondly the topic is so relevant to both of us even though we are in different industries. 😀🙌 The conference is about digital creativity aka how one would use the digital tools available to be more creative and organized for a greater output. 😀 I find my self gathering inspiration and ideas all the time. But we need a systematic way to save these so that they can be pulled out when you need them. ✍🏻 One of a good example is have a second brain where you can file things so your brain can do the doing and not the storing. I am sure we will learn a lot and I am excited to attend this. I will be sharing more with you later. @fortelabsco also had a great book Building the second brain that I still need to read. 👀
Join Ryder Carroll (creator of The Bullet Journal Method) for an exploration that explores a simple question: what are you managing your knowledge for? Without a purpose, personal knowledge management can deteriorate into overwhelming information hoarding. Whether it’s running a company, writing a book, or launching a YouTube channel, this session will guide you through ways to define a focus foundation on which to build your PKM.
In this keynote, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff will unveil the core ideas in her upcoming book, Tiny Experiments, for the first time. Based on her story of finding professional success before walking away from it all, it offers a new perspective on ambition and achievement without sacrificing your wellbeing or the childlike spirit of discovery that makes our curiosity sing.
In this keynote, Nick Milo will explore the transformative potential of linked notes in modern knowledge work. By shifting focus from mere organization to ideation, he’ll demonstrate how this approach fosters creativity and insight, moving practitioners from passive notetaking to active notemaking and the intellectual joy it offers.
In this dynamic and vulnerable workshop, creator and polyglot Jo Franco will introduce the practice of Live Journaling she's pioneered over the last few years as a timeless yet modern approach to self-discovery and personal development. Jo will demonstrate how Live Journaling can serve as a powerful complement to Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and digital notetaking, including how to integrate journaling with digital tools to make it even more insightful and profound. We'll skip right past the small talk and connect deeply with yourself and those around you. No previous journaling experience is required. Just a notebook, pen, and good vibes.
In our productivity-obsessed culture, we’ve mastered the art of squeezing “more” out of every moment. In this keynote, entrepreneur, coach, and writer Khe Hy will zoom out and ask a series of provocative questions: Why do we want to be more productive? What if PKM, GTD and Inbox Zero are all just coping techniques or shallow distractions? Who are you without achievement?
In this workshop, Marie Poulin and Ben Borowski will combine their obsessions with digital systems and organic permaculture, exploring how we can use the timeless principles of permaculture to cultivate healthier, wiser, more introspective information environments. For the first time, they'll unveil a philosophy of "digital permaculture" that promises to revolutionize how we design workspaces as sites of personal self-discovery, not just productivity.
The best ideas often come at the worst times – while you're driving, out for a run, or chopping lumber in the woods. Without the right tools to capture those ideas instantly, effortlessly, and in-the-moment, you'll lose almost all of them. In this workshop, productivity expert and creator Thomas Frank will show you the tools he's built and wacky experiments he's run in the name of never losing a great idea, including how to generate a perfect transcript using voice notes, instantly capture web content with a couple clicks, and digitize handwritten notes using AI.
The promise of AI is that it will help us scale ourselves. But what exactly does that look like? Join entrepreneur and content creator Rachel Woods as she unveils the secrets to embedding process and repeatability into your work, even in the most creative tasks, as a gateway to fully unlocking the potential of AI for modern knowledge work.
Rachel will also host a workshop on AI Mastery: How to use the MASTER Method for Prompting.
In this workshop, August Bradley guides participants in a process to break down life aspirations into actionable stages — reverse engineering progress toward ambitious aspirations. We'll explore how to translate dreams into desired outcomes while integrating knowledge management to support and empower planning for each time horizon.
The pace of innovation at Evernote has soared since its acquisition by Milan-based Bending Spoons in 2022. Join two who know Evernote best – Evernote Certified Expert Stacey Harmon and Evernote's Product Lead Federico Simionato – for a chat about how the 50+ new Evernote features released in 2024 help you expand your digital creativity efforts, what the data shows about those who use Evernote most effectively and how Evernote usage is evolving, and how the new era of Evernote is focusing on building a product with users, for users.
In this talk, author and educator Sönke Ahrens will discuss the mental side of working with our external brains. Our beliefs about what drives insight determine the outcome as much as the tools we use. Drawing from his seminal work "How to Take Smart Notes", countless coaching sessions on the zettelkasten method, and some deep dives into the history of science, he will present you with a handy toolbox of mental models to improve the quality of your "thinking in writing". This also translates into practical consequences for "smart note taking". Some ideas presented will be counterintuitive, but thought-provoking for sure.
In this keynote, celebrated author and thought leader Steven Johnson will explore the fascinating evolution of tools for thought, from early mnemonic devices to the advent of the personal computer, and how that history has shaped his collaboration with Google on NotebookLM, the first major AI platform for complex research and writing projects. Join us for an inspiring keynote that will bridge the past, present, and exciting future of digital thinking tools as AI transforms what is possible in creative work.
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Maya is the designer behind the BASB visual identity system, as well as Tiago’s PARA Method book, the Pillars of Productivity course, and the Second Brain Summit branding. In this session, Maya will share a behind-the-scenes peek into her process of designing these visual identities, and offer tips for building your own branding strategically.
This breakout session is based on Mike's latest book, The Productivity Diet. The session will explore actionable strategies for nurturing your productive potential, focusing on how to cultivate healthy productivity habits that align with your personal goals and values. We'll explore the importance of balance, intention, and sustainable routines, providing practical tips to optimize your relationship with time. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to apply the principles of The Productivity Diet in their daily lives, fostering long-term growth and maintaining momentum on their productivity journey.
Shaping your ideas and shipping them in the form of a book (or a mini book) is one of the most powerful ways to elevate your thinking, crystallize your voice and message, and expand your visibility and reach in the world. However, the path to publishing is surprisingly complex and filled with contradictory advice. In this breakout session, we’ll explore:
What makes a book concept “book worthy.”
How to know if you’re ready for a major “traditional” book deal.
What steps to take from “socializing” an idea and building a platform to figuring out the “pitch,” writing a proposal, and getting connected to the right people.
When to consider hybrid and self-publishing and why these approaches can be so important for long-term success as a thought leader and writer.
The secret of “starter books” to help you get started with smarts and speed.
Discover how to build a powerful community that drives your business forward. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to choose the right community business model for your goals, explore real-world case studies of successful communities and their earnings, and uncover proven strategies for fostering peer-to-peer engagement. Walk away with actionable insights to create a thriving, sustainable community that keeps members coming back again and again.
In this interactive session, Dara Ladjevardian, CEO & Co-Founder of Delphi, will demonstrate how cutting-edge AI can create dynamic digital twins—interactive replicas that capture your unique knowledge, thought patterns, and expertise. Delphi’s technology allows influencers, business leaders, and experts to engage their audiences in personalized dialogue, not just passive content consumption. Join Dara as he showcases how this game-changing tool scales your wisdom and impact, making your expertise available anytime, anywhere. Get ready to explore the future of knowledge sharing and audience engagement.
Ditch the script and discover a more effective way to prepare for your videos, meetings, & presentations (no memorization required!) In this session, you’ll learn key strategies to maintain composure and navigate the speaking process with greater calm and control. You’ll walk away with a powerful toolkit for creating and delivering content without relying on notes or rote memorization.
AI tools are transforming the way we capture and process information, but oftentimes, they're inaccurate.. Haroon is at the forefront of AI as the writer of the leading AI newsletter Not A Bot and the founder of Autoblocks, which helps product teams reliably apply AI to many aspects of their work. During this session, we'll explore strategies and techniques for making AI tools more accurate and reliable over time.
Margaret is the author of "Following the Sun: Tales (and Fails) From a Year Around the World With Our Kids," an account of the year she and her husband quit their jobs, took their young children out of school, and left the U.S. to travel around the world, visiting 29 countries across six continents. In this session, Sullivan describes the Second Brain techniques she used that year to both capture the overwhelming daily volume of memories, ideas, and inspiration -- as well as unearth surprising discoveries about travel, about the world, and about herself.
We often think efficiency is how fast we get things done, and this is the biggest misconception in productivity. Join this highly interactive session to see how enjoyment can be the most direct measure of efficiency. We'll run live experiments on your current issues to learn tools that get you out of the checkbox-dopamine-cycle to easeful efficiency.
Tiago co-authored a book called “Simple Marketing for Smart People” with Billy Broas, which teaches Billy's marketing fundamentals that he applied to grow a multimillion dollar online education business. Billy has generously shared what normally costs thousands of dollars to access in this succinct book, and will further distill its most essential, concrete takeaways in this session.
Roland is the author of the forthcoming book “The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper”, in which he documents the fascinating, surprising history of the notebook as an informal and intimate tool that people have used for many centuries in every culture. He’ll reveal some of history’s timeless principles and lessons that we can apply even today in the digital age.
Gary is the co-founder of the Quantified Self Movement, a global community of people who use technology to deeply understand themselves and apply that knowledge to improve their lives. QS, as it’s known, was one of the main inspirations for the Second Brain community. In this session, Gary will share some of his most recent revelations in this closely related field.
Includes a Digital Swag Bag worth $5,144!
We’ll keep you up-to-date on everything Second Brain Summit and add you to our weekly newsletter where we share our best essays, videos, and other resources designed to level up your productivity and life.
I’ve spent the last decade researching and experimenting with new ways of leveraging digital tools to fuel our creativity.
My biggest breakthroughs and mindset shifts have always come from collaborating with others who share my goals and values.
For years, I’ve dreamed of bringing the incredible community we’ve built in the virtual world into the physical world.
Now we’re finally making it happen – I invite you to join the most dedicated experts and practitioners of personal knowledge management in the world’s creative capital to discover what technology is now making possible.
For the full story behind this event, check out my blog post on how it came to be.
Nope! The Second Brain Summit won't be live-streamed or recorded in any way. This is an immersive, sensory experience that may never be repeated, so come join us in person!
We're still in the process of finalizing the topics with our speakers. Here are the ones you can already look forward to:
Nick Milo: Linking Your Thinking – The Dawn of Networked Knowledge
In this keynote, Nick Milo will explore the transformative potential of linked notes in modern knowledge work. By shifting focus from mere organization to ideation, he’ll demonstrate how this approach fosters creativity and insight, moving practitioners from passive notetaking to active notemaking and the intellectual joy it offers.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff: Tiny Experiments – A Neuroscientist's Guide to Living a Life of Exploration
In this keynote, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff will unveil the core ideas in her upcoming book, Tiny Experiments, for the first time. Based on her story of finding professional success before walking away from it all, it offers a new perspective on ambition and achievement without sacrificing your wellbeing or the childlike spirit of discovery that makes our curiosity sing.
Khe Hy: The Productivity Delusion
In our productivity-obsessed culture, we’ve mastered the art of squeezing “more” out of every moment. In this keynote, entrepreneur, coach, and writer Khe Hy will zoom out and ask a series of provocative questions: Why do we want to be more productive? What if PKM, GTD and Inbox Zero are all just coping techniques or shallow distractions? Who are you without achievement?
Marie Poulin and Ben Borowski: Digital Permaculture – A New Approach to PKM as a Wellbeing Practice
In this workshop, Marie Poulin and Ben Borowski will combine their obsessions with digital systems and organic permaculture, exploring how we can use the timeless principles of permaculture to cultivate healthier, wiser, more introspective information environments. For the first time, they'll unveil a philosophy of "digital permaculture" that promises to revolutionize how we design workspaces as sites of personal self-discovery, not just productivity.
Sönke Ahrens: Mental Models for External Brains
In this talk, author and educator Sönke Ahrens will discuss the mental side of working with our external brains. Our beliefs about what drives insight determine the outcome as much as the tools we use. Drawing from his seminal work "How to Take Smart Notes", countless coaching sessions on the zettelkasten method, and some deep dives into the history of science, he will present you with a handy toolbox of mental models to improve the quality of your "thinking in writing".
Jo Franco: Live Journaling – A Creative Practice for Modern Self-Discovery
In this dynamic and vulnerable workshop, creator and polyglot Jo Franco will introduce the practice of Live Journaling she's pioneered over the last few years as a timeless yet modern approach to self-discovery and personal development. Jo will demonstrate how Live Journaling can serve as a powerful complement to Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and digital notetaking, including how to integrate journaling with digital tools to make it even more insightful and profound. We'll skip right past the small talk and connect deeply with yourself and those around you. No previous journaling experience is required. Just a notebook, pen, and good vibes.
Steven Johnson: Harnessing the Digital Brain –The Evolution of Tools for Thought and the Future of AI Writing
In this keynote, celebrated author and thought leader Steven Johnson will explore the fascinating evolution of tools for thought, from early mnemonic devices to the advent of the personal computer, and how that history has shaped his collaboration with Google on NotebookLM, the first major AI platform for complex research and writing projects. Join us for an inspiring keynote that will bridge the past, present, and exciting future of digital thinking tools as AI transforms what is possible in creative work.
August Bradley: Turning Your Dreams Into Action Fueled by Knowledge
In this workshop, August Bradley guides participants in a process to break down life aspirations into actionable stages — reverse engineering progress toward ambitious aspirations. We'll explore how to translate dreams into desired outcomes while integrating knowledge management to support and empower planning for each time horizon.
Ryder Carroll: Pre.K.M – Defining Your Purpose Before Building Your Process
Join Ryder Carroll (creator of The Bullet Journal Method) for an exploration that explores a simple question: what are you managing your knowledge for? Without a purpose, personal knowledge management can deteriorate into overwhelming information hoarding. Whether it’s running a company, writing a book, or launching a YouTube channel, this session will guide you through ways to define a focus foundation on which to build your PKM.
Thomas Frank: Capture Everything –Take Notes with Your Voice, Highlight the Web, and Add Anything to Your Second Brain Instantly
The best ideas often come at the worst times – while you're driving, out for a run, or chopping lumber in the woods. Without the right tools to capture those ideas instantly, effortlessly, and in-the-moment, you'll lose almost all of them. In this workshop, productivity expert and creator Thomas Frank will show you the tools he's built and wacky experiments he's run in the name of never losing a great idea, including how to generate a perfect transcript using voice notes, instantly capture web content with a couple clicks, and digitize handwritten notes using AI.
Stacey Harmon and Federico Simionato: The New (Evernote!) Elephant in the Room
The pace of innovation at Evernote has soared since its acquisition by Milan-based Bending Spoons in 2022. Join two who know Evernote best – Evernote Certified Expert Stacey Harmon and Evernote's Product Lead Federico Simionato – for a chat about how the 50+ new Evernote features released in 2024 help you expand your digital creativity efforts, what the data shows about those who use Evernote most effectively and how Evernote usage is evolving, and how the new era of Evernote is focusing on building a product with users, for users.
Rachel Woods: Automating Creativity – Using Process and Repeatability to Unlock AI's Potential (keynote)
The promise of AI is that it will help us scale ourselves. But what exactly does that look like? Join entrepreneur and content creator Rachel Woods as she unveils the secrets to embedding process and repeatability into your work, even in the most creative tasks, as a gateway to fully unlocking the potential of AI for modern knowledge work.
Rachel Woods: AI Mastery: How to use the MASTER Method for Prompting (workshop)
In this breakout workshop, AI expert Rachel Woods will show you how to optimize your business workflow using AI, backed by case studies and data points from her latest groundbreaking research at the AI Exchange. Learn to implement process-oriented strategies, utilize tools like ChatGPT, and advanced AI tools for automation. She will also introduce the MASTER method for crafting high-quality prompts quickly, helping you avoid common AI pitfalls and build your own prompt library. Get ready to revolutionize your creative process and unlock new levels of efficiency and productivity.
We're dedicated to making the Second Brain Summit accessible to a diverse range of participants. If you're affiliated with a non-profit organization, NGO, educational institution, or are a student or faculty member, please complete this form to apply for a discounted rate.
We also support Purchasing Power Parity Pricing. Based on your location, you might qualify for a reduced ticket price for the Second Brain Summit. If you do, you’ll automatically see a banner with a discount code. Make sure to disable any VPN since this will block the banner from showing.
If you need help asking your employer for professional development reimbursement, we’ve created this proposal template you can fill out and send to your manager. Many organizations have budgets for conferences and professional training, but you have to ask!
Every ticket to the Second Brain Summit includes a Digital Swag Bag (worth $5,144) – a cornucopia of educational offerings allowing you to dive deeper with the speakers and ideas you encounter at the summit. Here’s what’s included:
#1. One-year access to the Second Brain Membership ($499 value)
You’ll receive an entire year’s membership to our flagship learning community, the Second Brain Membership, which includes weekly hands-on workshops, monthly Q&As with me (the only way to work with me directly these days), guest workshops with top PKM experts, all hosted on an exclusive Circle community.
#2. Tiago’s courses: BASB Foundation and Pillars of Productivity ($750 value)
You’ll have lifetime access to my two self-paced courses, containing the twin pillars of my holistic productivity philosophy: Pillars of Productivity for the actionable world of emails and to-dos, and BASB Foundation for all your notes and ideas.
#3. One-year access to the Ultraspeaking Membership ($192 value)
The Ultraspeaking Membership gives you access to a rich community of people dedicated to improving their communication and speaking skills, from daily online classes led by expert coaches & alumni on topics like storytelling, confidence, and the fundamentals of public speaking, to their renowned communication games and self-paced courses.
#4. Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal Basics and Beyond course and one-quarter access to his BuJo U learning community ($350 value)
Get the inside track in BuJo U, a global community based on Ryder Carroll’s bestselling book The Bullet Journal Method. It is a vibrant ecosystem of passionate Bullet Journalers, including tutorials, tips and techniques, templates and guides, an art showcase, and live events. And if you want to dive into the fundamentals of his world-renowned productivity and journaling method, you can do so in the Bullet Journal Basics and Beyond online course.
#5. One-quarter access to JoClub + JoClub Fluent, Jo Franco’s journaling community ($159 value)
You’ll have the chance to join the most passionate journaling-based community on the planet, JoClub, inspired by Jo Franco and her experiences using journaling for self-reflection and personal and career growth, as well as JoClub Fluent, a community for language learning. Included are 12 guided live journaling sessions in English and 12 for language learners, 21-day challenges, prompt kits, daily journal prompts to your inbox, and access to the private Circle community.
#6. Khe Hy’s flagship course Supercharge Your Productivity and LifeOS ($2,300 value)
Get access to Khe Hy’s flagship course Supercharge Your Productivity, including live session recordings, activity prompts and questions, a Notion Life Dashboard template to implement the new values and principles you uncover, and an exclusive community of purpose-driven productivity enthusiasts. Also includes LifeOS, Khe’s complete operating system for your digital world in Notion.
#7. Nick Milo’s course Notemaking Mastery ($500 value)
You’ll be one of the first to take part in Nick’s upcoming new live workshop Notetaking Mastery, in which he’ll teach his signature practice of “notemaking” (as opposed to notetaking). Launching on November 1, 2024, it will include his holistic approach to making your digital thoughts visible, shapeable, and powerful in service of doing the best writing and work of your career.
#8. One-year access to Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Ness Labs learning community ($49)
The Ness Labs learning community is all about knowledge, note-taking, learning, reading, and psychology with a unique perspective. This includes unlimited access to online courses, monthly virtual meetups, “Mind Match” to connect you with like-minded thinkers, and special offers and deals on productivity tools for members.
#9. Sönke Ahrens’ upcoming Zettelkasten Master Class ($249)
In his upcoming Zettelkasten Master Class, Sönke teaches how to apply Zettelkasten principles using the versatile Obsidian app.
#10. One-year pro subscription to Taskade, the AI-powered productivity platform ($96)
Taskade supercharges your productivity with “AI agents” that automate your tasks, do research, and even create content for you in one unified workspace. It’s the project management tool for the AI era, making it easy to collaborate with team members on a project and visualize your projects in various formats.
This is like getting a full undergraduate degree’s worth of education in the emerging and increasingly vital field of personal knowledge management and productivity. You’re essentially joining a virtual elite university made up of the best teachers AND students from around the world.
You’ll redeem access to your digital swag bag in person in Los Angeles at the Second Brain Summit. There is no virtual attendance option, so you must join us live to take advantage of this offer.
Yes, we’re happy to offer a special group rate for people from the same company or organization: Buy 2 tickets at full price and get the third one 100% free!
Just email hello@fortelabs.com to let us know you want to take advantage of that, and we’ll send you instructions.
Thank you for your interest, but we are not accepting sponsors at this time.
Tickets to the Second Brain Summit are not refundable. However, they are transferable to someone else up to 14 days prior to the event.
We're carefully tailoring a special experience and thinking through every detail from the moment you land in Los Angeles to the moment you head home– that includes our speaker list. We've already sent invites to those who we think are the best fit, so we’re not taking speaker applications at this time.
We’re dedicated to ensuring a safe experience for our team and attendees. We are following guidance from the CDC and local health authorities in our plans and will continue to update them accordingly.
In the event that the Second Brain Summit must be canceled due to COVID-19, all tickets will be refunded.
Includes a Digital Swag Bag worth $5,144!
We’ll keep you up-to-date on everything Second Brain Summit and add you to our weekly newsletter where we share our best essays, videos, and other resources designed to level up your productivity and life.
