The Art of Capturing Ideas
How to Collect and Organize Information Without Drowning in It
This is Part 2 in a series on Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte
Read Part 1 here:
“Information isn’t a luxury — it’s the very basis of our survival. Just as with the food we put into our bodies, it is our responsibility and right to choose our information diet. It’s up to us to decide what information is good for us, what we want more or less of, and ultimately, what we do with it. You are what you consume — and that applies just as much to information as to nutrition.”
Creative work relies on having a reliable process. At the core of every creative endeavor is information — it fuels the fire. This information can come from anywhere: podcasts, books, conversations, emails. To be ready for inspiration, it’s important to build the habit of capturing information constantly. Why? Because you're cultivating a “knowledge garden.” Without seeds, your garden won’t grow. Information is those seeds.
Before we dive into what you should capture, let’s begin with what you shouldn’t. This isn’t a definitive list, but it’s a useful starting point:
Security risks
Specialty notes — things that require a separate app to open
Very large files — notes should be quick and lightweight
Collaborative files — anything edited primarily by others
To decide what to capture, you first need to understand what you're trying to accomplish. Notes are only helpful when they serve a goal. Richard Feynman, known for his wide-ranging interests, had a clear strategy for filtering information: he kept a running list of the problems he was trying to solve. When new information came in, he asked: Does this help me move one of these forward? If yes, he kept it. If no, he moved on.
This principle only works if you’re clear on your own problems, goals, or questions. These are the seeds in your garden.
Capture what resonates — ideas that excite or inspire you. These should feel personal and worth exploring. Let them sit in your notes app until enough time has passed for you to evaluate them objectively. The worst time to judge an idea’s value is immediately after you encounter it.
And don’t worry about deleting things later. Digital notes are malleable — you can always revise or remove them. The real key is to channel your best ideas into one central, searchable notes app. There is no wrong way to take notes, only better ways to organize them.
"Capturing notes without an effective way to organize and retrieve them only leads to more overwhelm.”
Just like physical spaces affect how we think — a cathedral can inspire big ideas, while a cramped shed encourages focus — the structure of your digital notes impacts your creativity. A chaotic pile of notes won’t serve you. Capturing is just step one; organizing is what makes the system usable.
Tiago Forte developed the PARA system to help organize any kind of information, for anyone. It breaks your digital life into four categories:
P – Projects
Active tasks with a clear end goal
Examples: building a website, writing a book, planning a moveA – Areas
Ongoing responsibilities with no fixed endpoint
Examples: health, finances, relationshipsR – Resources
Useful reference material or ideas for the future
Examples: travel destinations, product designs, inspiring quotesA – Archives
Inactive or completed items
Examples: past projects, hobbies you’ve moved on from
When new information arrives, don’t immediately decide where it belongs. That first moment of discovery isn’t ideal for judging usefulness. Let the idea sit. If it supports a current project or one you’re planning, move it to Projects or Resources. If it’s no longer relevant, move it to Archives.
Don’t overthink it. Organizing your notes shouldn’t become a chore — it should lighten your mental load.
“Our notes are things to use, not just things to collect.”
The next — and arguably most important — step is to distill your notes into actionable insights. Think of this as leaving instructions for “future you.” Notes should be short, clear, and straight to the point. We’ll explore this step in more detail in the next article.