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A second brain template based on the PARA method of Tiago Forte.

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To start, add the “Dashboard” page to favorites and navigate everywhere from there.

Overview

Projects - things that have a clearly defined start and end. Projects must be actionable and completable. Best if they are short-lived; completed in days/weeks.
Areas - things that do not have a clearly defined end condition. They are broad areas that need to be broken down into projects. These represent critical areas in your life that are constantly ongoing.
Resources - similar to areas, except they do not require any upkeep. Treat them as organizational spaces. Unlike areas, there are no downsides if left empty and neglected. Use this for hobbies and interests.
Notes - single units of knowledge. Notes are anything; articles, tools, links, images, photos, etc. They exist as a single most important entity that is aggregated in other databases.
Tasks - workable items that live under projects to break them down further.
Topics - broadly categorize notes. They are not supposed to be easily searchable, and instead serve as a potential pool of inspiration.
Tags - specific and narrow items that make notes as searchable as possible. They need to be precise and enable immediately finding the items that are needed.
Content Types - broad categorization of notes by their content.
Notes Inbox - an inbox for notes. It is best to set up any automations to put the notes in here, and periodically moving them to the main Notes database. The “C” component of the “CODE” method.
People - referred to in notes, projects, or areas.

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It is best not to delete anything. Instead, mark items as archived. There is no benefit to deleting as archived content can become useful again in the future.

When finishing a project/area, go through the notes and reassign or archive them as needed.

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Tips

Configure tasks as a task database for Notion and it will show up on the main page for fastest access.
Integrate your tasks and notes into Notion’s calendar for scheduling, time blocking, and note-taking. Use 3rd party apps to sync them with your main calendar.
Bookmark any note/area/project as favorite to have direct access to it from Notion’s sidebar.
Don’t be afraid to customize each area/project to its needs.
Adjust the navigation block on the dashboard page to suit your needs. It will update automatically everywhere.
Assign notes to any amount of projects, areas, or resources.
Use Save to Notion to save anything from your browser.
Use Readwise to sync content from different sources to Notion.
Use QuickPin to capture any notes or thoughts instantly and send to Notion. </aside>

Databases