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The Power of a Second Brain in a Developer's Workflow

In an AI-driven world where information overload is the norm, it's all too easy to rely on ChatGPT or Google Search for quick answers, only to forget them just as quickly. But what if there's a smarter approach that not only helps us retain what we learn but also enhances our workflow and productivity?

We will explore why and how constructing a Second Brain can revolutionize the way developers work. By shifting our perspective and relying on our internal knowledge base, we can forge connections that enhance memory retention and improve our overall workflow. This presentation aims to delve into the core of the developer workflow, addressing commonly shared questions that are typically googled or answered using ChatGPT. Instead, we will focus on how adopting the habit of turning to our Second Brain can yield better results by providing answers in the context of our previous learning.

This talk has been presented at TechLead Conference 2024, check out the latest edition of this Tech Conference.

FAQ

Braden Coyier is a senior front-end engineer at LogicGate, a husband, and a father of two little girls.

Braden Coyier faces the challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities, with frequent context switching being a constant in his life.

The rise of AI has allowed Braden Coyier to offload tedious tasks and get nearly instant feedback on everyday problems, but it also made him realize that he was relying too heavily on AI and not retaining new information.

A 'second brain' is a curated list of digital notes that span different aspects of life, work, and hobbies, forming connections between ideas similar to how the human brain works.

Braden Coyier invests time in maintaining a second brain to enhance memory retention and aid in recalling information through active learning and note-taking.

The benefits of maintaining a second brain include enhanced memory retention and contextual discovery, where you can stumble upon useful information unintentionally.

Tools that can be used to build a second brain include Notion, Obsidian, Reflect, Rome Research, and TANA.

To start building a second brain, begin with small, self-contained notes on specific ideas or concepts, and over time, form a web of related information.

According to Braden Coyier, passive learning is fleeting, while active learning is enduring. Active learning involves intentionally writing down and retaining information.

Braden Coyier mentions that we lose nearly 40% of new information within the first 24 hours of encountering it.

Braydon Coyer

8 min

14 Jun, 2024

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Video Summary and Transcription

The concept of a second brain, a curated list of digital notes, helps enhance memory retention. Building and maintaining a second brain as a developer is beneficial for contextual discovery and quick information recall. Any tool can be used to create a second brain, starting with self-contained information and gradually forming a web of related content. Active learning through a second brain is enduring and helps retain information that cannot be physically recalled.

Available in Español: El Poder de un Segundo Cerebro en el Flujo de Trabajo de un Desarrollador

1. Introduction to the Second Brain

Short description:

Welcome to our demo. I'm Braden Coyier, a senior front-end engineer at LogicGate. The rise of AI has promised to offload tedious tasks and provide instant feedback. However, relying too heavily on AI can hinder learning and retention. To address this, I've embraced the concept of a second brain, a curated list of digital notes that mirror the workings of our minds. Investing time in a second brain enhances memory retention. Studies show that by actively learning and writing down information, we can improve retention and avoid losing 40% of new information within 24 hours.

So, welcome to our demo. Well hey everyone. My name is Braden Coyier. I'm a husband, a father of two little girls, and a senior front-end engineer working at LogicGate.

Now balancing the responsibilities of work and family as an engineer that's working from home can be quite the juggling act, I'm sure some of you probably know. Context switching is really the only constant that we have in our lives, right? And so because of this, the rise of AI in recent years has been really exciting because it's promised the opportunity to offload tedious tasks and to get nearly instant feedback on everyday problems.

But I noticed that I was growing too, I noticed a tendency to lean too heavily on AI to solve all of my coding problems. And you might say, well Braden, what's wrong with using AI to solve all of my coding problems? It's great. And that's true. There's nothing wrong with it. I do think it's great. I use it every day. But I noticed a near instant reaction to turn to AI whenever I had a problem. And because of this, I wasn't actually learning new information. In fact, I tended to forget the information nearly as quickly as I found it because of that. And so it's almost like these smart AI solutions almost made me less knowledgeable in certain areas.

So instead of finding answers and then immediately forgetting it, I want to learn and I want to grow. And so over the last year I've made a concerted effort to slow down and to try and become an active learner, keeping the information that I learn readily available even when my physical mind can't remember it. And I'm doing this with something called my second brain.

Now for those of you who aren't familiar with the PKM space or personal knowledge management, a second brain is essentially just a curated list of digital notes usually that span different aspects of your life, of work, and your hobbies. And the real power of this digital knowledge repository comes in its ability to form connections between different ideas, mirroring the workings of our own minds. And you can kind of think of a second brain as your own personal Wikipedia that's tailored to your own thoughts and your own ideas.

And so you might be saying, well Braden, you already don't have a lot of time. Why are you investing time in a second brain and writing these notes? There's two things I want to point out for you today. Number one is enhanced memory retention. So if you're intentional about how you build out your second brain, you don't just find the answers, you tend to remember them and retain them. Studies show that we lose nearly 40% of new information within the first 24 hours of encountering it. 40%. And as someone who helps lead a team at work, that statistic is pretty alarming because it means that I need to be super intentional about the information that comes my way. But studies also show that by slowing down, being an active learner, and writing down information in your own words can greatly improve retention.

2. Building Your Own Second Brain

Short description:

Maintaining a second brain is an investment. One of the coolest benefits of maintaining a second brain as a developer is running across tidbits of information that you didn't even know you needed. Contextual discovery is key. By linking content based on past experiences, you can recall information quickly. Building your own second brain is easy, but keeping up with it can be challenging.

And this works, by the way, whether you're jotting down notes on pen and paper, or if you're using a keyboard and mouse and writing digital notes.

And this whole idea of digital note taking probably isn't new to you. We've probably all done note taking in the past, but why do we stop taking notes about new things that we're learning when we graduate college? And just like if we were learning something new, we should return to our second brain regularly because the repetition of reviewing notes aids in recalling that information. And for those times when we can't physically recall it, we don't have to worry. We have our digital brain right there.

Maintaining a second brain is an investment. But it's worthwhile for me. Maybe it is for you, too. Number two, one of the coolest benefits of maintaining a second brain as a developer is running across, often unintentionally, these tidbits of information that I didn't even know that I needed in the moment. I call this contextual discovery.

But here's an example. Hopefully, it's easy enough to read. Here's a note that I wrote years and years ago about how to change the most recent git commit message using the git commit amend command. Say that five times fast. The note itself is short and sweet. It shows some syntax. I wrote it in my own words, but I also included a note that's in my second brain as kind of a heads up if I ever come across this note again. Because in this situation, I was working in a repository that had pre-commit hooks. It would take the JIRA slug based off of the branch name and append it to the commit message, which means that when I ran the amend command, I actually ended up with a commit message that wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It was unintentional side effects.

And yes, this example is simple on purpose. But I wanted something that we could all relate to. But it highlights the idea that you can link content together based on past experiences, and that can be helpful. It's also amazing, and you might relate to this too, how quickly you can recall certain information when you find it in your past context. So if I ran into a problem a year ago, and I found a note that includes details about that problem, because I ran into the problem and I struggled with it, I remember the problem. It pains me, right? I can recall a lot of that information, both the stuff that worked and the things that did work. And so keep that in mind as well.

So now, how can you build your own second brain? Well, thankfully, it's pretty easy. And generally, it's tool agnostic. Keeping up with it tends to be the hard part, at least for me.

3. Using Tools and Retaining Information

Short description:

You can use any tool you want for your second brain. Start small and write about self-contained information. Over time, form a web of related information. Remember that passive learning is fleeting, but active learning is enduring. Rely on your second brain for information you can't physically recall. Consider retaining answers with a second brain.

But you can use any tool that you want. Many of these you've probably seen, such as Notion, Obsidian, Reflect, Rome Research, and TANA, just to name a few.

And as you build out your second brain, you want to start small. You want to write about information that's self-contained, meaning that the information you're writing about is scoped to a specific idea or a specific concept. And over time, you can find your notes that you've written and form a mesh, a web of related information.

Okay. I know I'm a little over time, and I'm the only thing keeping you from lunch, so let me wrap up. If there's one thing you take away from the talk, remember that passive learning is fleeting, but active learning is enduring. And I needed a way to remember all my information. And the way that I chose to do that is by remembering that I can't remember everything. I realize that. And I needed a system that I can rely on when I can't physically recall the information. And I don't have to worry. If I can't, I can just turn to my second brain. And so the next time you run into a problem, don't just find the answers. Consider retaining them with a second brain. Thanks. Thank you.