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Note-taking and memory, explained
Straight answers to the questions people actually ask about capturing and remembering what matters.
Second brain
What is a second brain?
A second brain is an external system where you keep ideas, notes, and references so you do not have to hold them in your head. The term was popularized by Tiago Forte. The catch is that most second brains only stay useful if you keep filing and maintaining them.
Read the answer →Cornell method
What is the Cornell note-taking method?
The Cornell method splits a page into three parts: a narrow left column for cues, a wide right column for notes taken during class, and a summary bar at the bottom. You write notes on the right, add questions on the left, and summarize after. The layout is built for review and recall.
Read the answer →Spaced repetition
What is spaced repetition?
Spaced repetition is a study technique where you review material at growing intervals, right before you would forget it. Each successful recall pushes the next review further out. It moves facts into long-term memory far more efficiently than cramming, and it is how flashcard tools like Anki schedule reviews.
Read the answer →Body doubling
What is body doubling?
Body doubling is doing a task while another person is present, in the room or on a call, to make it easier to start and stay focused. It is a common strategy in the ADHD community. The other person does not help with the task itself; their presence is the anchor.
Read the answer →Brain dump
What is a brain dump?
A brain dump is getting every thought, task, and worry out of your head and onto a page or a recording, without sorting or judging as you go. It clears mental load quickly. The hard part is what comes next: an unsorted dump only helps if you can find things in it later.
Read the answer →Zettelkasten
What is the Zettelkasten method?
Zettelkasten, German for slip box, is a note system where each idea lives in one small, self-contained note, and notes link to related notes to form a web of thinking. Sociologist Niklas Luhmann used it to write prolifically. It rewards linking over filing, but it takes real discipline to keep up.
Read the answer →Skip the system. Keep the memory.
Talk it out, Almanack organizes it, and hands it back when you ask. No folders, no upkeep.
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