How To Build And Use A “Second Brain” In College?

College gives your brain a lot to process. Each lecture brings unknown information. Every social interaction provides an opportunity to build (or strengthen) a relationship. And each day brings with it a different set of quests and events to follow.

Trying to manage all this information with your limited human brain is an overwhelming recipe. There's too much going on for you to remember everything.

As a solution, you can use an external system. Whether it's as simple as a whiteboard or as elaborate as a project management app, the goal is the same: get information out of your head and store it somewhere else.

In other words, the goal is to build a second brain.

In this article, we will explore the concept of creating a second brain. Here's what a second brain is, why you might want to create one, and how to build a second brain that meets your needs as a student.

What Is a Second Brain?

If the term "second brain" conjures up images of cyborgs or artificial intelligence, don't worry. We're not talking about literally replicating the human brain or creating an artificial copy of your mind.

When we talk about a second brain, we mean an external system for capturing, organizing, retrieving and archiving the thoughts and ideas floating around in your head.

This external system can take several forms.

For most of history, people had to use physical tools such as stone or paper tablets to bring out what was in their brains. While it's always possible to build a second brain using analog tools, modern digital tools are a superior option overall.

Not only is there a digital second brain to be found, but it's also far more portable than a physical system. Because of these benefits, this article focuses on digital approaches to building a second brain.

But why bother building a second brain, digital or otherwise? Keep reading to find out.

5 Reasons to Build a Second Brain in College

We won't deny it: building a second brain will take time and effort. With your schedule already packed, why should you take the time to complete a project like this?

We have identified five main reasons:

Freeing up mental resources

Your brain can only do so many things at once. This is especially the case when trying to focus on a complex problem or task.

If your mind is constantly wandering on a task to complete next week, an interesting conversation you had over lunch, or a book you were planning to read, it will be much harder for you to concentrate.

A second brain helps you eliminate those distractions. When you have a reliable external system to track your life, you can devote all of your mental resources to difficult issues.

For example, it's much easier to focus on your economics homework if you don't try to remember if your French essay is due tomorrow.

Be More Organized

College involves balancing various academic, personal, and professional commitments. With so much going on, it's easy for things to get blown away. Especially as you progress through the semester and your workload increases.

A second brain allows you to organize everything that happens in your life. You can have a grade and assignment tracking area for each class. You can keep a list of internship opportunities and application deadlines. And you can even set a recurring reminder to call your parents.

Be Less Stressed

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the demands of college. But you can make things less overwhelming by getting them out of your head. This is another area where a second brain comes in handy.

For example, a second brain can help you break down large projects into smaller (more manageable) tasks. Instead of an ambiguous and stressful ordeal, you have concrete actions to take on a daily basis. Whether you're studying English or engineering, such an organization system can give you peace of mind.

Create a Personal Knowledge Archive

My college lecture notes are scattered across half a dozen spiral notebooks and two or three note-taking apps. And these are the notes that I can still find; many more are lost over time.

If I had set up a second brain system, I would still have access to all this interesting information from my university courses. Learn from my mistakes and discover the benefits of archiving all your knowledge in one place.

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to lecture notes. Your second brain can store any information you find interesting, from recipes to poetry. After a few years, you will be amazed by the digital file you have created.

Generate New Ideas

So far, we've talked a lot about how your second brain can help you collect and store information. But the point of centralizing all this knowledge is not to let it gather (digital) dust.

Instead, your second brain should serve as a place to make connections between disparate topics and ideas. Over time, this will help you synthesize what you've learned and even generate new ideas.

For example, if you've ever struggled to write an article, it may be due to a lack of solid source material.

But when you've put all your class and grade reading into your second brain, you'll never have to start from scratch again. On the contrary, you have rich source material that can serve as inspiration for essay topics and supporting points.

4 Principles for Constructing a Second Brain

So you want to build your own second brain, now what?

Like your physical brain, your second brain is very personal. The exact steps to create and use depend on your work style, personality, and specific needs.

However, there are a few general principles that everyone should follow to successfully build a second brain:

Choose a guiding philosophy

It is difficult to discuss the concept of the second brain at length without encountering specific systems of organization and productivity.

Your second brain is ultimately just a tool, and you need a larger set of principles to guide you in using it. Otherwise, you just scribble random notes and throw them in a black box.

It would be impossible to go into detail about each of the productivity systems. We encourage you to do your own research to find what works best for you.

However, we must remember that many ideas in this article come from the PARA method of Tiago Forte.

PARA organizes your second brain into four categories:

•  Projects – multiple tasks linked to a goal
•  Areas – spheres of activity with a standard to be maintained
•  Resources – topics or themes of ongoing interest
•  Archive – inactive or no-longer-relevant items

Use Your Second Brain Regularly (Commit to It)

The simple decision to create a second brain is not enough. To get the full benefits, you need to use it every day (or at least every working day).

Here are some ways to get the most out of your second brain every day:

• Capture random thoughts and ideas.
• Take notes for lessons and readings.
• Plan your daily tasks.
• Update current projects.
• Review upcoming tasks and deadlines.

The more you commit to using your second brain, the more you can trust it.