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Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. Video

4. Stuff

Preface

This week, I decided to write about a topic from everyday life.

By "everyday life", I'm referring to subjects unrelated to war.

It's not that the situation is improving — quite the contrary.

Things are getting worse in many respects.

In Boston, particularly in academic circles, we're witnessing increased hostility. Violence and hate are seen at the same academic institutions that remained silent while the death tolls in Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and other places continued to climb.

Hypocrisy at its best.

At my hospital, we had Swastikas (the Nazi symbol).

At my University, we had anti-Semitic graffiti.

So, back to the newsletter.

After dedicating my last few newsletters to the war, I felt that dedicating another issue to the war has less value.

My readers want to hear about my experience where I live (Boston), but they also want a break from everything happening.

So today, I’ll discuss how I use a “Second Brain”.

“Second Brain” is a system you use to document what you’ve learned.

It’s like having a memory outside your brain. You use a computer’s memory instead of your own. And this is why we call our own memory “First Brain”.

The bottom line: My “Second Brain” is doing most of the memory, not my “First Brain”.

Let’s see how I do it.

Issue Number 64.

Main Article

Let’s start by discussing your current documenting habits.

When you learn something new, do you write it down? Do you take photos?

Most likely, you don't.

I’m pretty sure that 80% of the things you learn are never written down.

Think about it - that's 80% of new knowledge you throw in the trash!

And what do you do with the knowledge you have written down or photographed?

Do you ever read it? Can you even find it years later?

In most cases, you can’t.

Let’s roughly estimate. Probably 80% of what you documented isn’t accessible when you need it.

So, let’s do the math: If you only write down 20% of what you learn, and can only access 20% of it, you only retain about 4% of new information. (20% X 20 % = 4%)

That means 96% of the things you learn go to waste!

And this is exactly what differentiates people who retain information and those who waste time searching for it.

⚫ Think of scientists recalling a lecture from years ago to solve a current problem they have in their lab.

⚫ Doctors remembering a rare treatment they once learned and heal their patient.

⚫ Surgeons applying a previously learned technique to avoid complications.

⚫ Dentists sharing beautiful results with their colleagues in the last 2 minutes of a department meeting.

And that's just in professional contexts.

What about teaching or creating presentations?

Think of the last time you were asked to prepare a presentation.

You spend so much time on finding material. If you document well, it will take you 45 minutes to prepare a lecture. But if not, you’ll waste 4-5 hours.

So, we now understand the importance of RETAINING new knowledge.

But LOCATING this information is just as important.

We need a system that is accessible, user-friendly, and fun to use.

Such a system should STORE information for you and PRESENT it on your screen WITHIN SECONDS. That’s the essence of a Second Brain.

But let's face it: we've all tried storing our notes or putting photos into folders.

But after a while, we give up. It’s boring and time-consuming.

So, let me share my Second Brain system. It's not perfect, but here's my rough estimate:

I document about 80% of new things I learn, and 100% is accessible.

That means I retain 80% of my new knowledge (80% X 100%) instead of the mere 4% I mentioned earlier. That's 20 times more!

Even if you manage to write down just 40%, you still retain 40% overall!

That’s 10 times more than the usual 4%.

You will remember 10 times more! Wouldn't everyone want that improvement?

These numbers are just my estimates to make a point. You can do your own math, but the principle remains the same: Document more and ensure it’s 100% accessible.

Invest in your "Second Brain."

Here's my approach:

🔵 I Document Immediately

This is where most people fail. They don’t write it down.

The result? They forget.

I can’t stress it enough: you have to find a way to document right away!

Whether by taking notes, taking photos with your phone, or using a digital tool.

Quick and immediate recording is crucial!

Take lectures as an example.

When I attend lectures, I take photos of the important slides.

I know some of you feel uncomfortable taking pictures. But you don’t have to be. How do you know the lecture is excellent? You see phones held up, and people are taking pictures.

This is often seen as a compliment to the speaker. It’s like saying: “Your presentation is great!”

If necessary, I ask permission to take photos. I don’t remember ever getting a “no” as an answer.

🏡 Take-home message:

Document immediately! Make it a habit, and you've done most of the work.

🔵 I Add the "Shay's Touch"

I refer to "Shay's touch" as documenting information IN MY OWN WORDS.

For instance, after surgeries, I record details such as co-surgeons’ names, the patient's anatomy, and the instruments used. I record what I could have done faster, and the new things I learned.

When preparing for a less common surgery, I summarize the book chapter with all relevant images. I then break down the text into bullet points to make it easier for me to ingest.

This method is a perfect balance between time and effort.

It's quick to prepare (just hitting "enter" and "tab" to create bullet points) and detailed enough to make it easier for “future Shay”.

If I capture something on my phone, I immediately convert it to text or upload the photo to my chosen software (Notion, as discussed below).

Overall, I focus on how "future Shay" would understand what "present Shay" has just learned, even years later.

🏡 Take-home message:

Use your own words. Personalize it. Always think about how your future self will understand these notes.

🔵 I Use "Notion"

The essence: You need a system that is quick, user-friendly, and has excellent search capabilities.

Handwritten notes aren't searchable. This is why I use an app.

And I tried SO MANY apps over the last 20 years.

I've experimented with Roam, Obsidian, Evernote, OneNote, Google Keep, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Apple Pages, Apple Notes, and GoodNotes. While I still use some for specific tasks, none matches the efficiency of Notion.

🟢 What do I like about Notion?

It's user-friendly, extremely reliable, devoid of unnecessary add-ons, accessible across devices (including phones and tablets), free, and FUN TO USE.

🟢 What are the downsides of Notion?

It has limited functionality without an internet connection.

However, since not having an internet connection is a rare issue for me, it doesn't bother me as much.

🟢 How do I input information into Notion?

Whenever I learn something new during my fellowship, I add it as a bullet point under a page titled “fellowship pearls”. I usually do it on my phone.

If I summarize a book chapter, I dedicate a separate Notion page for it. I usually do it on my laptop.

🟢 How do I retrieve information from Notion?

Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on a Mac) brings up anything from my database, whether it's a manuscript, surgery tips, or past newsletters. ANYTHING.

This is how you install it:

Navigate to the Notion website and download the appropriate version for your operating system. Once the installation is complete, create a Notion account (if you haven't already) and log in. Pick the basic free plan. If you’re in academics, you can get the Plus plan for free.

🏡 Take-home message:

Choose an app that is both easy and enjoyable to use. I highly recommend Notion for its effectiveness and simplicity.

Video

This video shows how I use Notion to read and write manuscripts.

In short - I don’t waste time on PubMed and dealing with references.

You can watch it here, and ask questions in the comments section:

Stuff

📱 Application I Use - "Live Text" in the iPhone Camera App.

Access it by clicking the icon at the bottom right corner of the image (the icon is a square with three lines).

"Live Text" will extract and copy-paste the text directly from photos.

Great for taking notes during lectures without wasting time.

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

Hope for happier days.

Shay