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Building Second Brain – Pillars of Productivity by Tiago Forte
Why Does Your To-Do List Keep Growing, No Matter How Hard You Work?
Distractions, procrastination, FOMO…getting things done is hard these days. We have ALL the digital tools but NONE of the results they’ve promised us.
That’s changing now! Join our new course Pillars of Productivity.
What does it mean to be “productive”?
Productivity has gotten a bad rap. When you hear that word, you’re probably picturing someone hunched over their desk, grinding away endlessly at mind-numbing tasks from morning till night.
I don’t blame you! So much productivity content out there is just different ways of getting yourself to do things you hate doing. It’s become synonymous with hustle culture, never-ending busyness, and the opposite of what makes us come alive.
But I’m here to tell you: That is not what productivity is!
Productivity is NOT…
Productivity is…
Boring chores and drudgery
Your ability to take a vision in your head and manifest it in the real world, to make your ideas happen
Working harder and longer
Working efficiently, which means minimizing waste (think wasted time, effort, energy, potential, imagination, ideas, or relationships)
Random hacks and silver bullets
A system that you can rely on and that gives you the confidence to handle anything life throws at you
Always staying busy and beating yourself up for wasting time
Having the self-awareness to pause and recognize what’s going on so you never have to force yourself to do more than your body and mind allows
Ticking off all tasks on your to-do list
Creating the clarity and focus to work on the right priorities that create the life you want
Meet Your Instructor
Hi, I’m Tiago Forte
AUTHOR & CREATOR OF BUILDING A SECOND BRAIN
I’ve spent more than 10 years researching, teaching, coaching, and personally experimenting with new ways of organizing our digital lives and improving our productivity.
Creating a system for productivity was one of the most profoundly impactful things I ever did for myself. It’s given me a deep reservoir of confidence that I can handle whatever life throws at me.
I realized that anything life demands is just information, which can be broken up into manageable pieces (for example, content to consume, tasks to complete, appointments to schedule).
I feed these pieces into digital tools that are so much better at keeping track of them than my own brain ever could be – especially since I became a dad and can’t hold anything in my mind for longer than a minute (parents will know what I’m talking about).
Projects that seem overwhelming at first (an unexpected tax bill, finding the right pre-school, launching a new product) are now approachable, so I can tackle each piece until I arrive at the outcome.
The richness and variety of my life isn’t limited by my mental capacity – my system can handle anything!
My work has been featured in
What would having a system for productivity open up for you?
Whether you want to make a big vision happen, get your life together, or anything in between, with a system for productivity, you’ll be able to…
Make big promises to yourself and follow through, not because of perfect memory but because of your system, even if you have no idea yet how you’ll make it happen 
Manage multiple projects and roles you play in your life simultaneously, without having to stretch your mental and physical capacity to the breaking point 
Gain the sense of determination to make progress on multiple fronts of your life and work in parallel, without the burden of multitasking 
Have more of what you want and less of what you don’t in life, pulling your ultimate vision for your future forward in time Now, what does a system of productivity look like? Let me introduce you to…
Pillars of Productivity: The complete blueprint for modern, digital productivity
Think of your productivity system as a building you’re constructing. There are four pillars at the corners of that building that hold it all together.
Each pillar is a software program – an app – that fulfills a critical function in modern life: a digital calendar, a task manager (or digital to-do list), a digital notetaking app, and a read-later app.
You can offload all the information coming at you (e.g., from emails and many other sources) to those four pillars and resurface it right when you need it.
The Weekly Review ties it all together. It’s your ritual to finish every week with a sense of completion, finality and fulfillment, and start the new week with clarity and purpose, not based on wishful thinking but on thoughtful preparation.
These tools are so powerful, but no one ever really taught us how to use them effectively. That’s exactly what this course is designed to do
From conquering your email inbox to managing your time to taming your to-do list to effective notetaking and content consumption…
You’ll gain a set of powerful tools and habits so you can start every week with the focus you need to do your best work.
I finally created the course I wish existed when I started my career! I couldn’t be more excited to share everything I’ve learned from a decade of my own painstaking trial and error to hopefully save you some of the frustration I’ve experienced.
Join Pillars of Productivity
Build your personalized system for productivity on your own time and at your own pace.
- 8 lessons with comprehensive instructional videos including in-depth, hands-on demonstrations
- Downloadable workbook with all action steps & checklists so you can easily put what you learn into practice immediately
- Access to a vibrant online community where you can get your questions answered by peers and course staff
- App recommendations and concrete guidelines to help you pick the right productivity tools
- 7-day 100% money-back guarantee so you can try POP risk-free and decide if it’s right for you
- Access for the lifetime of the course including future updates
Here’s what you’ll be learning and doing in Pillars of Productivity
This course is not about passive learning; it’s about active implementation! Every one of the eight lessons contains a hands-on instructional video alongside concrete action steps and recommendations for apps and other tools so you can apply what you learn immediately to your work and life.
We’ve also created a downloadable playbook that you can complete on your computer or print out on paper. It contains every single action step, checklist, and resource mentioned throughout the course all in one handy place.
Get reimbursed by your employer
Most large organizations, and many smaller ones, will reimburse tuition for professional development. We’ve created a proposal template that you can use to request reimbursement.
Click here to download a proposal template.
Is Pillars of Productivity right for you?
This course is for you if you…
- Are sick of forgetting to do important things because you “tried to remember” them (don’t worry, it happens to all of us).
- Can’t stand missing opportunities and sometimes even deadlines anymore because they got lost in an overflowing inbox and 47 open browser tabs.
- Don’t want to feel like you’re always behind schedule and pressed for time every day, never quite able to catch up.
- Are ready to stop the feeling of overwhelm caused by an ever-growing, never-ending to-do list where every task feels like an obligation.
- Are tired of getting left behind and overlooked when it comes to promotions, raises, or interesting opportunities in your organization.
If you caught yourself nodding your head to any the points above, then I absolutely can’t wait to share Pillars of Productivity with you.
We especially recommend this course for…
Students
You’re enjoying life for the first time away from your parents, but are now feeling the pressure to manage your coursework and extracurriculars.
Entry-Level Employees
You’re starting your career and need help adapting and keeping up with a fast-paced, demanding workplace.
Parents, Teachers & Educators
You want to equip your children with critical life skills at an early age, and model those skills yourself.
Entrepreneurs, Freelancers & Business Owners
You’re juggling multiple roles and responsibilities with limited resources and pressing demands on your time, attention, and focus.
Join Pillars of Productivity
Build your personalized system for productivity on your own time and at your own pace.
- 8 lessons with comprehensive instructional videos including in-depth, hands-on demonstrations
- Downloadable workbook with all action steps & checklists so you can easily put what you learn into practice immediately
- Access to a vibrant online community where you can get your questions answered by peers and course staff
- App recommendations and concrete guidelines to help you pick the right productivity tools
- 7-day 100% money-back guarantee so you can try POP risk-free and decide if it’s right for you
- Access for the lifetime of the course including future updates
Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions
I’ll be honest: this merging of worlds can be a bad thing if you don’t manage it right. It can mean working longer hours, never quite being able to relax, and finding every minute of your attention colonized by tasks.
But I prefer the optimistic view: we can now be more aligned and authentic between our professional and personal worlds, and treat them as two important parts of a holistic picture that is our life. For our purposes, this means choosing digital tools that can encompass both work projects and personal projects, and help us manage both work responsibilities and life responsibilities.
I manage it all in one place, and I suggest you do too.
Most of what I teach in POP I used when I worked for a large company, and I use it today in the context of an international team at Forte Labs.
Join Pillars of Productivity
Build your personalized system for productivity on your own time and at your own pace.
- 8 lessons with comprehensive instructional videos including in-depth, hands-on demonstrations
- Downloadable workbook with all action steps & checklists so you can easily put what you learn into practice immediately
- Access to a vibrant online community where you can get your questions answered by peers and course staff
- App recommendations and concrete guidelines to help you pick the right productivity tools
- 7-day 100% money-back guarantee so you can try POP risk-free and decide if it’s right for you
- Access for the lifetime of the course including future updates
