Master divergent and convergent thinking | Tiago Forte

Productivity expert Tiago Forte explains how to master two modes of creative thinking.

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Author Tiago Forte believes that in today's digital age, people need a second brain to manage their knowledge. In other words, we need a personal system for collecting, organizing, and retrieving information from both physical and digital environments.

Although many people spend hours of their day on digital knowledge work, most are not getting better at managing their information. Instead, they’re becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Forte suggests approaching knowledge work with a process that can be improved upon, through the concept of divergence and convergence.

In practice, this means considering many options and then eliminating them, followed by creative and productive work. To maintain peace of mind, it's important to have multiple projects going on at once, which a second brain can help with by storing all projects in a concrete medium, freeing your memory.

0:00 What is a second brain?
1:14 Master divergence & convergence
3:18 Be productive and calm

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/divergent-and-convergent-thinking

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About Tiago Forte:
Tiago Forte is one of the world’s foremost experts on productivity. He has taught more than 20,000 people worldwide through his programs and writes and speaks on how technology can help knowledge workers revolutionize their personal effectiveness.

Tiago’s online course, Building a Second Brain, has produced more than 5,000 graduates from over 70 countries. The course draws on his experience in academic disciplines such as information science, practical fields such as user experience design, and his work with top organizations and leaders in Silicon Valley. Tiago believes knowledge management is one of the most impactful skills in the world today, and his work is dedicated to making it accessible to individuals for the first time.

In a previous life, he worked in microfinance in Latin America, served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine, and consulted for large companies on product development in San Francisco. He lives in Long Beach, California, with his wife Lauren, son Caio, and dog Ximena.

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