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CODE Method

#second-brain

The CODE (or C.O.D.E.) acronym stands for Collect, Organize, Distill, and Express. It is used for maintaining your second brain and helps with organizing notes into folders.

1. Capture​

Your second brain needs information to grow. In this stage, you capture all kinds of notes, and resources into four containers (more on that in a bit). Whether you’re highlighting passages from a book or saving snippets of conversations, there are a few rules to keep in mind:

  • ❤️ Keep what resonates: This is a gut check about the information you capture. Ideas that “resonate” may be unusual, counter intuitive, or interesting. More often than not, they refute what you already know. Follow your intuition and be selective.
  • 🍰 10% of the original content: Reading a book or an article online? Highlight what’s interesting, save snippets, but don’t go crazy with it. Forte recommends capturing no more than 10% of the source. It will save you some organizing and editing later on.
  • ⚡ Do it quickly: Don’t overthink. If a passage in a book strikes a chord, highlight it and keep reading. If a YouTube video has something you’re interested in, save the link with a time stamp and move on. You’ll zoom in on the information in the next stage.
  • ✂️ Use capturing tools: BASB is all about efficiency. Look for ways to optimize note-taking. Typing on your keyboard rather than with a pen is one thing. Web clippers, screenshot tools, and OCR software will take your second brain to the next level.

2. Organize (P.A.R.A.)​

Folders and notes, that’s all you need to organize your second brain. Instead of dumping things into dozens of ambiguously named piles, Forte recommends the PARA Method approach.

3. Distill (Progressive Summarization)​

You have your notes and folders in a personal knowledge base. So now what? 

Your notes, as compact as they may be, are still in a raw format. According to Forte, this is where most note-takers give up. You’ve probably created many intricate systems, captured a lot of valuable content, and then let those notes collect digital dust. But not this time.

Once you’ve captured notes into your second brain, you need to distill them. In a nutshell, every time you revisit an entry, you need to chew on it, read and reread, and extract the core message.

This is where Progressive Summarization comes in.

  • 📥 Level 1: Raw Format
    • First, read, listen to, or watch source material and capture the interesting bits. You can highlight passages in books/articles, save code snippets, or save show notes from a podcast. Remember, 10% is enough, so choose wisely.
  • 🅱️ Level 2: Bold
    • Once you’ve added the highlighted passages to your second brain, it’s time to refine them. Read and reread the material and bold the really important parts. Focus on keywords and tips that reflect the core message.
  • 🟡 Level 3: Highlight
    • “More highlighting?” Yes! The bolded passages may be the crème de la crème but there’s still room for improvement. If you’re dealing with a long and complex note, highlight bits of the bolded passages and scrap the rest.
  • 📝 Level 4: Create an executive summary
    • Sometimes you may come across a particularly lengthy note that’s difficult to encapsulate in a sentence or two. For such notes, add a bulleted summary at the top and try to describe what the note is about in your own words.

4. Express​

Gathering knowledge for the sake of it is pointless. 

Sure, you may nurture your little garden, walk around and marvel at all the notes and ideas you’ve collected. But hey, you’re in the knowledge game. And that means you need to make the best use of what’s in your second brain and create new value out of it.

Here’s how to do that. 👇

  • 🧱 Use Intermediate Packets: Intermediate packets are chunks of work, both past and present, that you can reuse in future projects. That can include distilled notes (see the previous step), unused resources, presentation slides, or checklists, just to name a few. Build on top of those blocks to kickstart new projects much quicker.
  • 🏃‍♂️ Work in increments: Don’t wait until you’re ready to write your 600-word bestseller. Start with an outline, progress to a paragraph, and the next thing you know, you’ll have a whole chapter in place. Deliver your work in increments, even if that means writing non-stop for just 30 minutes each day. Consistency is king.
  • 🤹 Embrace remixing: Every idea and project piggybacks on the ones you had or completed in the past. Look back at your intermediate packets and find ways to incorporate them into your work. Shake things up, spot contradictions, build better arguments, and always have a bunch of building blocks at the ready.