Why I Stopped Trying to Remember Everything and Built a Brain That Doesn’t Forget
- Liam Mistry
- Nov 17
- 4 min read
I’d heard about this book for a while. Building a Second Brain sat patiently on my reading list while I juggled coaching, content creation, admin, and planning a wedding — all the things that demand time and mental space. When I finally picked it up, I realised something simple but powerful: I’d already built a second brain… I just hadn’t fully learned how to use it.
This book bridges that gap.
It’s not about cramming more into your schedule. It’s about creating a system that helps you offload, organise, and resurface the right ideas at the right time. Here are my 3 lessons to regaining control whether you’re building a business, coaching elite athletes, or simply trying to stay on top of your life admin.
Lesson 1: You Don’t Need a Better Memory — You Need a Better System
One of the most powerful takeaways from Building a Second Brain is that productivity isn’t about remembering more — it’s about creating a system that remembers for you. Tiago introduces the PARA Method as a simple yet transformative framework to organise your digital life based on actionability:
Projects – Active tasks with deadlines (e.g. “Launch Workshop”).
Areas – Ongoing responsibilities (e.g. “Client Management”).
Resources – Useful info you might return to (e.g. “Rehab Protocols”).
Archive – Completed or inactive items.
Rather than filing things by topic, PARA ensures you know where to find what you need when you need it. As someone juggling coaching, content, and admin, I’d already been using PARA with Notion and file folders — but reading the book helped me sharpen how I retrieve and apply that information. With a second brain that mirrors how you work, your attention stays on action, not searching through clutter.
Lesson 2: Subtracting Friction to Make Progress Easier.
We often think progress means adding more — more effort, more tools, more tasks. But Tiago’s lesson is simple: reduce friction instead.
One tool that helps is Intermediate Packets — reusable pieces of work like drafted emails, warm-up templates, content outlines, or scripts. By saving these mini-assets, you avoid starting from scratch and build momentum faster.
This mindset helped me see where I was creating friction. For example, removing social media apps from phone, and disabling my Netflix account has created hours of time every day to focus on the areas of my life that matter most.
As the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu says:
“Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard... The soft and supple will prevail.” – Lao Tzu
This quote, from over 5,000 years ago, reminded me of something profound: we are not fixed. We have the power to change. To subtract, to adapt, to make small adjustments in how we structure our environment, so that our actions become easier and more aligned with what we want to achieve.
If you’re stuck, don’t push harder — ask yourself what’s in the way. Then remove it.
Whether it’s removing decisions (by pre-planning your workflow), tidying digital clutter, or blocking off protected time to review your PARA folders — you are flexible enough to design your environment for success.
Lesson 3: Capture, Distil, and Use What You Learn.
The most transformative method in the book is Progressive Summarisation. It’s designed to help you resurface insights over time — not just capture them and forget.
Here’s the 5-layer process:
Capture the raw note or resource.
Bold the key sentences.
Highlight the highlights in a second colour.
Summarise in your own words.
Remix and reuse it for content, coaching, or client communication.
You don’t do all five at once. As you revisit a note, you layer on more. Over time, the most useful info rises to the top.
I realised I often store valuable insights… but forget where they live. This method helps me build a system of breadcrumbs — leaving little signals for future-me to follow when I need inspiration or clarity.
Why This Book Stuck with Me
This isn’t about becoming a productivity robot. It’s about feeling less overwhelmed. When you run your own business — and your mind’s the project manager, creative, and operations team — you need tools that help you think more clearly.
This book reminded me that my brain doesn’t have to hold it all. That’s what the second brain is for.
What I’m Doing Now to Build a Second Brain (You Can Too)
Building Intermediate Packets
I’m capturing outlines, checklists, FAQs, and reusing them across projects.
Running Monthly Reviews
I reflect on progress and priorities — not just tasks — using Tiago’s “horizon review” idea.
Refining My Mise-en-Place
I tidy my digital and physical workspace weekly. It helps me start deep work with less friction.
Final Word
Building a Second Brain isn’t just a book. It’s a mindset shift.
It’s about designing a system that helps you think better, plan smarter, and execute with less stress.
You don’t need to do more. You need to do less, with better tools.
And your second brain? It’s not another thing to manage.
It’s the thing that helps you manage everything else.
To stay up to date with Mistry Method developments. More about coaching, philosophy, and wisdom check out my instagram where I aim to post weekly. Just click the link below:
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