Forte Labs

The modern frontier of productivity.

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

Jul 14, 2017

PARA Part 3: RandomNote – Building an Idea Generator

What if you could push a button and immediately be given an idea? Not just any idea. A good idea. An idea relevant to your interests, your g

Jun 25, 2018

PARA Part 8: Core Principles of Digital Organization

Over the past year, I’ve seen P.A.R.A. implementations of all shapes and sizes. I’ve seen them from every corner of the globe, in languages

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

Nov 9, 2020

How I Made a Documentary Film with Digital Notes

Over the last year I filmed a short documentary on the life and artistic career of my father Wayne Forte. He has been one of the strongest

Apr 14, 2018

PARA Part 6: Small-Batch Projects for Focus, Creativity, and Perspective

In P.A.R.A Part I, I argued that the Project List was the lynchpin of modern productivity, serving as a dashboard of your current commitment

May 10, 2019

The BASB Customer Persona

I recently compiled all my notes, findings, and ideas about the “ideal customer” for Building a Second Brain, and put them into a single doc

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

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

Oct 17, 2020

Introducing: How to Land a Book Deal

A Nine-Part Series, from Concept to Launch

Dec 7, 2018

Interview with Weihaur Lau of Created Living, on Health and Wellbeing for Conscious Leaders

I recently interviewed Weihaur Lau of Created Living, a health and wellness-based coaching program for leaders.  Weihaur’s coaching business

May 19, 2018

Just-In-Time PM #2: The Fundamentals of Flow

In Part 1, I introduced Return-on-Attention (ROA) as a way to evaluate how we invest our most precious resource – our attention. But there i

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

Oct 17, 2020

The Complete Guide to Landing a Book Deal

I recently signed a six-figure book deal with Simon & Schuster for my book Building a Second Brain.  As a first-time author, and in the

Mar 16, 2021

Introducing: Praxis Fellows Essays

Hello Praxsters!I have something special to share with you today: the first contributions of our Praxis Writing Fellows!I recruited a few of

Mar 16, 2021

Inner Limits

Why You’re Not Getting More Out of Journaling

Nov 30, 2017

The Monthly Review is a Systems Check

In The Weekly Review is an Operating System, I detailed the process I go through each week to capture any new open loops, clear my workspace

May 20, 2018

Just-In-Time PM #5: The Iron Triangle

In Part 4, I introduced the idea of “intermediate packets.” Instead of delivering value in a big project that spans huge amounts of time, we

May 23, 2018

Just-In-Time PM #9: Placeholders

In Part 8, we looked at divergence and convergence as the two fundamental modes of all creative work. Now let’s see what this looks like in

Dec 31, 2019

My 26 Favorite Essays of 2019

As part of my year-end review, I always review my favorite reading of the year. These usually tend to be “long-form” online essays diving de

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

Apr 16, 2019

5 Things I Learned From the Anti-Book Club

Last year I launched the Anti-Book Club, my own take on the tradition of book clubs. The idea is simple: instead of everyone in the group re

Oct 17, 2020

Negotiating Your Contract

Once you’ve accepted an offer for the publishing rights to your book, it’s time to draw up and sign a binding contract. Many of these contra

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