I am a reader.

Probably not surprising, considering my chosen profession. I love a good story and getting lost in the pages of a good book or play is one of my favorite activities.

I have, in recent years, really branched out into non-fiction as well. Part of my love of reading (and story consumption in all mediums) is that I love to learn. I definitely consider myself a lifelong student and am continuously finding new topics and ideas that grab my interest.

My problem, however, is retention. I know I’m not alone in this. But when I gaze at the long list of books that I’ve read (I love scrolling through my Kindle and seeing all the book covers) or podcasts I’ve listened too, or YouTube videos I’ve watched, or any other form of media where I have “learned” something, the vast majority of the time I can not point at something and say “this is what I’ve learned from that.”

Which is sad. I’m not going to say a waste of time, because I never think reading is a waste of time. But I have longed wished there was a way to keep track of things I learn better, so that they have more impact in my life and habits.

Now, before you jump in with suggestions, I am also an avid note taker. I have notebook upon notebook full of thoughts. My problem is, of course, remembering which notes are in which notebook. And there’s plenty of them that have not survived the countless number of moves I’ve made over the years.

A lot of people have said that I should go digital. The problem is, I like notebooks. I like writing versus typing. And I’ve never found a software that I like that I’ll keep coming back to.

Then, as I was on YouTube the other day, I stumbled across this video by Ali Abdaal about the creation of a Second Brain.

Basically, the idea is that your brain is meant for creating ideas – it is not meant to retain them. For those of us who trade on their ideas, its imperative that you create a “Second Brain” – or a place to store all of your ideas where they are easily accessible when you need them.

I’m not going to lie, I thought of this moment from Inside Out while he was talking.

With all the new projects that I am doing, the things Ali talked about really hit home. I have to find a better system. So I took his advice and downloaded Notion. I’ve been playing around with it both with the book I am currently reading and with a long podcast interview I’m listening to. We’ll see if I like it.

But, no matter what, I am committed to finding a better system. Because, as a writer, as a creator, it is important to me that I can keep track of all of my ideas and access them whenever I want them. Even if it means giving up my beloved analog notebook.