Forte Labs

The modern frontier of productivity.

Jan 7, 2022

PARA on Paper

How I adapted the PARA process and transformed my knowledge management

Oct 9, 2017

The Topology of Attention

It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that my work is really about attentional design. Becoming aware of attention. Shaping and directing

Jan 19, 2022

The 4 Identities of a Teacher

Reporter, Expert, Mentor, Role Model

Mar 11, 2019

The Case for Traditional Publishing for Full-Stack Freelancers

In The Four Pathways of Modern Book Publishing, I described what I believe to be the four main routes to publication for writers in the digi

Mar 31, 2019

Crafting a Book Proposal: The Onboarding Questionnaire

I previously wrote about my thought process for why and how I’ve decided to publish my book Building a Second Brain with a traditional publi

Mar 19, 2017

PARA Part 2: Operations Manual

Last month I published The P.A.R.A. Method: A Universal System for Organizing Digital Information. It describes a simple, lightweight, yet e

Aug 8, 2020

P.A.R.A — An Introduction

Resurfacing Tiago’s in-depth P.A.R.A series

Nov 1, 2021

The Magic of Linear Listening

What I Learned From Listening to 100 Episodes of the SPI Podcast

Jun 8, 2018

Just-In-Time PM #18: Motivational Waves

In Part 17, I argued that unique states of mind are the most powerful resource available to knowledge workers. But these states are difficul

Feb 9, 2017

The PARA Method: A Universal System for Organizing Digital Information

Imagine for a moment the perfect organizational system.

Dec 7, 2018

A Productivity Expert’s Guide to Working with a Virtual Assistant

Over the past five months I’ve worked closely with a virtual assistant (VA). This article summarizes what I’ve learned about the best ways t

Oct 17, 2020

Writing Your Book

After all this work and finally signing a deal…it’s time to do the thing you’ve been asking for, and write the book. Leave plenty of time to

Aug 17, 2017

Strategically Constrained: How to Turn Limitations Into Opportunities

I first came across the idea that great strengths can emerge from great constraints in Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way. He takes

Apr 12, 2018

Trekonomics: The Economics of Post-Scarcity

I recently finished listening to the audiobook of Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek (Amazon Affiliate Link), by Manu Saadia. It was pr

Dec 27, 2017

Progressive Summarization: A Practical Technique for Designing Discoverable Notes

Modern digital tools make it easy to “capture” information from a wide variety of sources. We know how to snap a picture, type out some not

May 28, 2018

Just-In-Time PM #11: Late Starts on the Critical Path

In Part 10, I argued that digital knowledge work was fundamentally different than other kinds of work, because its structure, features, and

Oct 17, 2020

Finding an Agent and Publisher

You should think of the people you’re working with at each stage of the publishing process as your publishing team. Each one contributes som

Apr 17, 2018

PARA Part 7: Creating a Project Network

There have been 3 Eras of Productivity in modern times, each defined by a seminal book: The Values-First Era at the dawn of corporate Ameri

May 26, 2017

The Weekly Review is an Operating System

In his book Getting Things Done, David Allen calls the Weekly Review the “Master Key to GTD.” He claims it is the single most critical habit

Aug 22, 2020

P.A.R.A. Part 3 — How to build serendipity into your productivity system

Resurfacing Tiago’s in-depth P.A.R.A series

Jul 8, 2018

Progressive Summarization VI: Core Principles of Knowledge Capture

It might seem absurd that something as simple as a method of highlighting could be so important to a person’s productivity and learning. Eve

Sep 17, 2018

The Design of a Weekly Review

The most important practice that I recommend everyone adopt for their personal productivity is a Weekly Review – a regular reflection on the

Jul 16, 2020

Time Budgeting: What I’ve Learned from Doing 364 Weekly Reviews

Why the weekly review is the cornerstone of my life

Feb 16, 2019

Behind the Scenes of a Profitable Online Course

I advise everyone I know to create an online course. Everyone has something to say. Everyone has valuable knowledge that others could benefi